The Nigerian Senate is currently weighing a new bill that would increase the number of Supreme Court Justices from 21 to 30. This move is aimed at clearing the growing number of pending cases at the nation’s highest court and improving the speed of legal decisions.
The proposal, introduced by Senator Osita Izunaso representing Imo West, was discussed during a media briefing in Abuja on Friday. The event marked his second anniversary as a member of the 10th National Assembly.
According to Izunaso, even though the court recently met its constitutional quota of 21 justices following the appointment of 11 new ones in 2023, it still lacks the manpower to manage the volume of cases it receives.
“Even with the full complement of 21 justices, the Supreme Court is overwhelmed. The volume of cases reaching the court daily is alarming. Some litigants are being given hearing dates as far ahead as 2027 and 2028,” Izunaso stated.
He explained that raising the number of justices would allow the court to create more panels to hear cases.
“Supreme Court justices typically sit in panels of five, or seven for constitutional matters. If we have 30 justices, it allows the formation of at least five panels simultaneously. That way, more cases can be handled at a faster pace,” he said.
But Izunaso’s bill goes beyond just increasing numbers. He is also pushing for a reform in the kind of cases the Supreme Court should be hearing. He questioned why matters like family disputes and land disagreements are allowed to reach the apex court.
“Why should a land matter in my village end up in the Supreme Court?” he asked. “Many of these issues should start from the Customary Court and end at the High Court.”
He noted that cases such as tenancy disputes and divorce issues often clog the system, delaying the resolution of more serious legal matters like terrorism, homicide, and corruption.
In a personal account, the senator recalled a case that was listed for hearing years after the main parties had passed away and their families had already resolved the issue. “The case was fixed for 2026, even though the matter had already been settled. That’s an indictment of our system,” he said.
Some have called for the creation of regional Supreme Courts to manage the load, but Izunaso disagrees. He said Nigeria should retain one Supreme Court but filter out less important cases early on.
“A unitary Supreme Court preserves the sanctity and unity of our judicial system. What we need is better filtration at lower level, not more Supreme Courts,” he said.
On a separate matter, the senator also praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for posthumously honouring Professor Humphrey Nwosu with the Commander of the Order of the Niger award. Nwosu is known for overseeing the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Izunaso called the recognition a “bold and commendable step” and urged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters be named after the late professor. “I think the president has done the right thing,” he said. “In fact, I urge him to go a step further by naming the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission after Professor Nwosu.”
