Federal High Court Opens Weekend Filing

The Federal High Court of Nigeria has directed all its divisional registries nationwide to open on weekends and public holidays, for the filing of pre-election matters ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The directive was contained in a Public Notice issued on Thursday and signed by the Chief Registrar of the Court, Yahaya Shafa.

According to the Notice, all Federal High Court registries across the country will now operate between 10:00am and 2:00pm on weekends and public holidays, exclusively for pre-election filings.

 The court said the decision became necessary to comply with strict constitutional and statutory timelines, governing the filing and determination of pre-election disputes. It explained that the move was aimed at ensuring that litigants are not denied access to justice, due to time constraints associated with electoral processes.

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

 The court added that the arrangement had become “expedient”, in order to meet the limited timeframe for handling pre-election matters ahead of the 2027 general elections.