The President of the Court of Appeal , Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, on Monday said 99 panels were set up to sit on election petitions in 2023.
Dongban-Mensem, made this known on Monday in Abuja at the opening of a- two-today workshop to review the 2023 Election Petition Tribunals/Court and Appeals.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was organised in partnership with the International Foundation For Electoral System (IFES), Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC).
Others are the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) the UK international Development and the European Union.
The workshop, she said, was organised to ensure that the country ‘s electoral process excel and also to learn from errors made and ways to proceed in the process better.
”The need to review the judicial process that preceded the election 2023 was very important. It was a very difficult task, very challenging at the same time.
”A total of 99 panels were set up with three judges sitting in each of them drawn from high courts.
”That was a huge number of judges taken out of our judicial system and dedicated to the electoral process.
”This workshop is important because we are dedicated and committed to ensuring that our electoral process excels.
”We want to learn from our errors, we want to discuss want we found as wrong with our legislation during this election having tried and applied the provisions.
”We are now in the position to say whether or not those provisions can actually move our electoral process forward” she said.
She expressed appreciation to the justices, of the court of appeal, judges of the high courts and Customary courts, she also thanked development partners for their commitment.
Similarly, the Attorney General of the Federation and minister of justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN in his remarks, commended the judiciary for the stabilising role it plays in the electoral process as a nation.
He noted that the Court of Appeal in particular, plays a more pivotal role in shaping and strengthening the electoral jurisprudence, through the exercise of its constitutional mandate in that regard.
Speaking, the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Olukayode Ariwoola noted that political matters always tend to occupy the front burners of the adjudicatory activities .
He added as all existing electoral laws have placed some time frame within which they must be heard and decided.
Speaking, Mr Clement Nwankwo , executive director , Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre said the outcome of the judgments as preserved by the citizens matters.
