ABUJA, Nigeria – A bill seeking to make the Court of Appeal the final arbiter in governorship election disputes has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
Sponsored by Nnamdi Ezechi, the lawmaker representing Ndokwa East/Ndokwa West/Ukwuani Federal Constituency of Delta State, the bill aims to amend Section 246 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.
Currently, Section 246 states that the decisions of the Court of Appeal on election disputes related to national and state houses of assembly are final.
However, the bill seeks to extend this provision to governorship elections, ensuring that the Court of Appeal’s ruling on such disputes would be final, without the possibility of appeal to the Supreme Court.
Ezechi introduced the bill in 2024, stating that the proposed amendment would address the challenges of delays and excessive costs associated with post-election litigation.
He emphasized that if passed, the law would prevent gubernatorial election disputes from reaching the Supreme Court, offering a quicker resolution to these matters.
The bill comes in response to past instances where the decisions of the Court of Appeal regarding governorship election outcomes were overturned by the Supreme Court, leading to confusion and prolonged litigation.
Notable cases include the 2023 Plateau State governorship election, where Caleb Mutfwang’s election was initially voided by the tribunal and the Court of Appeal, only for the Supreme Court to affirm his victory in January 2024.
A similar situation occurred with the governorship election in Kano State, where the tribunal and Court of Appeal sacked Abba Yusuf, only for the Supreme Court to nullify that decision.
