President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, has raised concern over the growing backlog of cases before the appellate court, stating that electoral disputes continued to dominate the court’s docket in the last legal year.
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Speaking at the ceremony marking the opening of the Court of Appeal’s 2025/2026 Legal Year, Justice Dongban-Mensem noted that electoral matters consumed the court’s time and energy. She urged lawyers to encourage clients to embrace amicable settlement through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
“Although the general elections are behind us, electoral litigation remained a dominant feature of our docket. Post-election disputes from governorship and legislative contests continued to reach the court for off-season elections. Endless litigation drains our scarce resources. We are currently in serious debt. We therefore appeal to political actors: democracy cannot flourish if every electoral contest is dragged into the courtroom,” she said.
Dongban-Mensem disclosed that the Court of Appeal received 5,225 appeals and 9,906 motions during the 2024/2025 legal year. Out of these, 3,193 appeals and 5,623 motions were heard and determined. She added that 2,503 appeals were dismissed while 690 were allowed.
“As at October 31, the Court has 31,618 appeals and 3,382 motions pending. When compared to the 2023/2024 legal year, a clear improvement emerges. In that year, only 2,299 appeals were determined, and the number of pending appeals stood at 41,952. The significant reduction in the backlog this year reflects the exceptional commitment and hard work of my brother Justices in dispensing justice judiciously and judicially,” she said.
The PCA attributed the court’s progress to the sacrifices and professionalism of the Justices, noting that they remained committed to openness, respect for litigants, and protection of rights.
She further highlighted the impact of Alternative Dispute Resolution in easing congestion. During the year under review, the Court of Appeal Mediation Centre handled 121 mediation matters across Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Jos. Of these, 34 were successfully resolved, 26 were returned to the court for adjudication, while 61 remain pending.
At the event, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, commended the Court of Appeal for introducing special sittings across its divisions to reduce case congestion. He said the initiative demonstrated responsiveness to public concerns over delays in justice delivery.
“It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge that in recent months, the judiciary has come under public scrutiny and criticism, often marked by misrepresentations of judicial decisions in the public space. These criticisms, whether fair or misplaced, remind us of the delicate balance between judicial authority, public trust and perception,” he said.
Fagbemi added that the judiciary remains central to national stability, especially amid rising insecurity.
“At this solemn juncture in our national life, it is impossible to ignore the grave challenge of insecurity that confronts our country. From insurgency and terrorism to banditry, kidnapping, and violent crimes, these threats imperil not only the safety of our citizens but also the very fabric of our constitutional democracy. The judiciary, as the guardian of justice and the custodian of the rule of law, must lend its weight to national efforts to combat insecurity,” he stated.
The AGF said the special sittings introduced by the Court of Appeal demonstrated institutional commitment to addressing delays and reinforcing public confidence in the justice sector.
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