The House of Representatives has called on the federal government to appoint new Justices to the Supreme Court.
It said this would expedite the hearing and determination of matters for effective and efficient justice delivery in the country.
The resolution of the House was sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved at the plenary on Thursday by Hon. Patrick Umoh.
Moving the motion, Umoh said he current number of Justices of the apex court has dropped to all-time low of 11 Justices, making it 10 justices short of its full complement of 21 justices as stipulated by the Constitution.
He said the appointment of the justices also became imperative with the post-election season where the court has to hear and determine electoral matters from different parts of the country within a short period of time as mandated by the Constitution.
The lawmaker said the Supreme Court’s docket was full for the year 2023 as parties cannot have hearing dates for matters filed within the year, except in election petitions, owing to a considerable volume of matters pending before the court.
He expressed worry that the non-appointment of new Justices to the Supreme Court has stalled expeditious, effective and efficient justice delivery; impeded transactions and economic development; limited citizen’s access to justice.
Umoh added that the situation put the current Justices of the court under immense mental and physical pressure; and has affected the policy-making function of the court.
The House, after adopting the motion, mandated the Committee on Federal Judiciary to ensure compliance with the resolution.
