Senate Passes Bill To Increase Number Of Federal High Court Judges For Second Reading

A bill seeking to increase the number of federal high court judges has scaled second reading on the floor of the Senate.

Naija News reports that the lawmakers passed the bill to amend the Federal High Court Act, which seeks to increase the number of federal high court judges from 70 to 90 for second reading during Wednesday’s plenary.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu had sent a request to the Nigerian Senate seeking an amendment to the law to increase the number of judges across major courts in the country.

The President’s requests are contained in a Judicial Reform Bill transmitted to the lawmakers.

Tinubu cited the need to strengthen the court and address the growing volume of cases.

According to the letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu is seeking an amendment to the Court of Appeal Act to raise the number of justices from 70 to 110.

He also transmitted a bill seeking amendments to the Federal High Court Act to increase the number of judges from 70 to 90, up from the original provision of 50 judges.

Meanwhile, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has said a new bill will be presented that proposes a single six-year tenure for presidents and state governors after the 2027 general elections.

He said the plan is aimed at changing the current system where elected leaders can serve two terms.

Bamidele explained that the proposal would be one of the first bills he intends to bring forward when the next Senate begins.

He said the idea is to allow leaders to focus fully on governing instead of spending time preparing for re-election.

According to him, the present two-term arrangement often pushes office holders to start political planning early in their first term, which reduces the time they spend on governance.