Court moves to weekends for pre-election cases as 2027 polls near

The Federal High Court of Nigeria has announced that all its registries across the country will now open on weekends and public holidays for the filing of pre-election cases ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The announcement was made in a public notice issued on Thursday and signed by the court’s Chief Registrar, Yahaya Shafa.

According to the notice, the registries will operate from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on weekends and public holidays, but only for matters related to pre-election disputes.

The court explained that the decision was necessary because of the limited time allowed by law for filing and deciding pre-election cases.

“The Federal High Court of Nigeria formally notifies all legal practitioners that registries in all divisions of the court would be open between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on weekends and public holidays for filing of pre-election matters only,” the notice stated.

The development comes as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 elections. While the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has completed its primary elections, several opposition parties are still conducting theirs before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deadline of May 30.

Some aspirants across different political parties have also expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the primaries.