The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, on Monday decried the high number of cases pending before the court, disclosing that some judges have over 1,000 pending cases.
He pointed Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt Divisions of the court as having the highest number of cases.
“We are accustomed to being expected to do more with less or no resources provided at all. While our needs continue to rise, funding doesn’t keep pace,” Justice Tsoho added.
Justice Tsoho, who spoke during a special court session the high court held to mark its 2022/2023 legal year, said that sections 29 (5) and 84 (14) of the Electoral Act, 2022, foisted on the high court, the exclusive jurisdiction of hearing and determining pre-election complaints, with section 285 (10) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, mandating that such cases must be concluded with 180 days from the date of filing of the suit.
“This is notwithstanding the judges’ existing high-volume dockets that present enormous challenges.
“It is necessary to place on record that the Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2022, was enacted without any consultation with the Court. Also, no support whatsoever was provided to address the increased responsibility. This weighed heavily on the operations of the Court,” he stated.