Business activities at the Federal High Court (FHC) were paralyzed on Thursday due to the election break announced by the Chief Judge (CJ), Justice John Tsoho.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Tsoho had, in a circular dated March 2, granted the judges a few days’ breaks to enable them to perform their civic duties.
In the circular titled: “Break for the Governorship and House of Assembly Elections,” the judges were directed to sit up until Wednesday before proceeding on the break and to resume work on Tuesday (March 14).
According to the circular, the administrative judges in the Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt judicial divisions should ensure that a judge is designated to cater for the North, South-West, South-South/South-East Geo-political Areas respectively, regarding urgent matters during the period.
NAN reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had, on Wednesday night, announced the postponement of the governorship and state houses of assembly elections to March 18.
INEC’s spokesperson, Festus Okoye, in a statement,, said the postponement was to make for adequate timing to reconfigure the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the polls
Meanwhile, a check at FHC, Abuja on Thursday morning showed that almost all the 11 courts in the high-rise building were not sitting.
However at Court 11 where Justice Obiora Egwuatu presides, out of the many cases listed on the cause list, only a judgment on an electoral matter was delivered by the judge.
Also at Court 8 where Justice Donatus Okorowo was assigned to sit as a vacation judge, NAN learned that the court would only sit if there was any matter of urgent importance.
The FHC CJ had on Feb. 20, granted a similar break to the judges to allow them to exercise their civic rights during the Feb 25 Presidential and National Assembly Elections. (NAN)
