Tinubu Proposes 200 New Judges for Appellate and Trial Courts

President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve a significant expansion of Nigeria’s appellate and trial courts, proposing the appointment of 200 additional judges to the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, in what his administration describes as a necessary response to mounting judicial pressure.

The request was conveyed through two separate bills transmitted to the upper chamber and read at plenary on Tuesday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, as lawmakers resumed sitting after the Christmas and New Year recess.

Under the proposals, Tinubu is seeking to amend the Court of Appeal Act, 2004, to increase the number of justices in the intermediate appellate court from 70 to 110. A second bill would amend the Federal High Court Act, 2004, raising the number of judges from 70 to 90.

According to the president, the expansion is intended to strengthen judicial capacity amid a growing caseload driven by evolving security and economic challenges. In his communication to the Senate, Tinubu pointed to the increasing complexity of litigation before the courts, particularly in areas such as terrorism-related offences, taxation, and other matters falling under federal jurisdiction.

The proposed changes to the Court of Appeal extend beyond manpower. The bill also seeks to modernise court operations by introducing provisions for electronic and visual transmission of proceedings, alongside updates to operational terminology in the existing law to reflect contemporary judicial practice.

For the Federal High Court, the president argued that the current complement of judges is no longer sufficient to meet the demands placed on the court. Originally established with 50 judges, the court’s bench was expanded to 70 in 2009. Since then, Tinubu said, developments in governance, security, and economic regulation have significantly increased the volume and complexity of cases, making further expansion unavoidable.

He maintained that increasing the number of judges to 90 would improve efficiency, reduce delays in the administration of justice, and ensure the court is better staffed with judges possessing the expertise required for emerging areas of law.

In a related move, the president also forwarded the name of Oyewole Joseph to the Senate for confirmation as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

The Senate is expected to subject both the proposed amendments and the judicial nomination to legislative scrutiny in line with its constitutional responsibilities, a process that will determine whether the administration’s push to recalibrate the judiciary translates into structural reform, or merely a numerical expansion of an already overburdened system.