By Ghazali Ibrahim
No fewer than 375 judges have been inaugurated to serve on Nigeria’s election petition tribunals ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The judges were inaugurated on Monday, November 9, at the Body of Benchers Complex in Abuja, as the judiciary begins preparations to handle disputes that may arise from the forthcoming polls.
The inauguration also featured the launch of the second edition of the Judicial Electoral Manual and a specialised capacity-building workshop for judicial officers.
Speaking at the event, the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, disclosed that 138 of the 375 judges had previously served on election tribunals, while 237 were newly nominated.
She described the exercise as an important institutional preparation for the judiciary, noting that public confidence in democracy depended not only on the conduct of elections but also on the availability of impartial and effective mechanisms for resolving electoral disputes.
Dongban-Mensem urged the judges to uphold the Constitution and remain conscious that their conduct and decisions would attract considerable public scrutiny.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, also charged the judicial officers to maintain impartiality, integrity and strict adherence to the law in handling election-related cases.
She warned against political interference and urged judges to resist attempts to influence their decisions.
Kekere-Ekun further cautioned lawyers, political parties, media organisations and members of the public against unethical practices capable of undermining judicial proceedings, including the abuse of ex parte applications and online campaigns intended to intimidate judicial officers or influence pending cases.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, emphasised the importance of cooperation between the electoral body and the judiciary in ensuring credible elections.
He also highlighted emerging challenges in election litigation, particularly the growing influence of digital technology and misinformation.
Amupitan noted that although technologies such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) promote electoral transparency, judicial officers must be prepared to address emerging threats, including artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes.
The tribunals derive their constitutional backing from Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which provides for the adjudication of disputes arising from National and State Houses of Assembly elections, as well as governorship elections.
Similarly, Section 134 of the Electoral Act 2026 provides for the constitution of election tribunals and the opening of their registries ahead of elections.
The 2027 general elections are scheduled to begin with the presidential and National Assembly elections on January 16, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6.
