Buhari fails to allocate funds for adjudicating disputes in 2023 vote
By Jeph Ajobaju
Five months out, President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to allocate funds to enable the Court of Appeal constitute election petition tribunals for the 2023 vote, in a country notorious for hard fought election litigations, including frivolous ones.
President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, lamented the lack of funds, and warned failure to release them on time could hamper the constitution of tribunals and courts to adjudicate disputes.
The PCA is statutorily empowered to constitute election petition tribunals across the country.
“It is pertinent to state that adequate preparation requires adequate funding,” Dongban-Mensem stressed at the opening of the 2022/2023 Court of Appeal legal year in Abuja.
“The essential ingredient for the tribunals to function effectively to maximum capacity is the provision of the much needed funding to provide adequate facilities for the tribunals across the nation.
“The fund to prosecute the 2023 General Election Petition Tribunals has still not been released. This is becoming worrisome as it may impede plans to constitute the various tribunals and courts.
“The process of training of Hon. Justices, Tribunal Judges and Registry staff is also on hold, pending the release of funds. The existing tribunals have taken up a whole chunk of the very limited resources of the court.
“We appeal to the relevant authorities to ensure that the funds for running of the tribunals are released urgently.”
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Nomination of tribunal members underway
Dongban-Mensem disclosed she has received from heads of courts across the federation, nominations of judicial officers to serve in tribunals, per Vanguard.
“Also, nominations of staff who will man the registries of the tribunals have been received from the various divisions of the court.
Federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Abubakar Malami announced the government is determined to improve the remuneration and conditions of service of judicial officers.
“I wish to recall that one of the cardinal issues raised by the President of the Court of Appeal in Her Lordship’s address last year was the issue of the welfare of our meticulous and committed judicial officers,” he said.
“The government of the day is not oblivious of this persistent challenge.
“Amid our revenue challenges as a nation, coupled with various demands for wage increase, one certain assurance I can make to this noble gathering is that the improvement of the remuneration and conditions of service of our judicial officers is uppermost on the agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.”