President Bola Tinubu has formally asked the Senate to amend existing laws to expand the number of judges in both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.
In two separate letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and read during plenary on Tuesday, January 27, Tinubu requested amendments to the Federal High Court Act and the Court of Appeal Act.
The president proposed increasing the number of judges of the Federal High Court from 70 to 90, while also seeking to raise the statutory strength of the Court of Appeal from 70 to 110 justices.
Explaining his request, Tinubu noted that Section 1(2) of the Federal High Court Act initially allowed for a maximum of 50 judges before it was amended in 2005 to 70, which remains the current figure. He said the proposed increase is necessary due to the court’s expanding workload.
According to the president, the Federal High Court now handles a growing number of terrorism-related cases, transnational organised crimes and other matters directly linked to national security. He added that increasing the number of judges would improve the judge-to-case ratio, speed up trials and enhance the quality of judgments.
Tinubu also said the expansion would promote judicial specialisation in complex areas such as terrorism, financial crimes, taxation, intellectual property and maritime law. He urged the Senate to consider and pass the Federal High Court Amendment Bill 2025 without delay.
On the Court of Appeal Act, Tinubu explained that the proposed amendment seeks not only to increase the number of justices but also to clarify the court’s structure and rules on seniority. This includes provisions relating to the ranking of justices and the position of the President of the Court of Appeal.
The bill also proposes the modernisation of appellate proceedings through the introduction of virtual hearings and the establishment of an Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre (ADRC). Tinubu said the ADRC would allow certain appeal cases to be settled outside full court proceedings, thereby improving efficiency.
He noted that the amendments are designed to strengthen professional efficiency, ensure legal certainty, align the courts with modern legal standards and update judicial terminology to reflect contemporary practices, including electronic hearings.
Tinubu described the proposed changes as timely and essential, saying they would help reduce delays in justice delivery, address increasing pressure on the appellate system, improve access to justice nationwide and boost public confidence in the judiciary.
After the letters were read, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the bills to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.