The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun has charged Court of Appeal to regularly hold pre – judgement conferences to avoid conflicting decisions.
She that the issue of conflicting decisions is one of great concern in our (legal) community at present time and is
because “many panels do not hold conferences to discuss all reserve judgments.”
Justice Kekere-Ekun stated this at the 2024 Court of Appeal’s Justices Annual Conference in Abuja on Monday added that “it is strongly recommended that conferences be held. I cannot overemphasize this point.”
She said that at this level, where appeals are held and reserved for judgment, the holding of conferences to collectively deliberate on issues and matters that come before the court cannot be overstated.
She said conferencing is an essential tool that promotes mutual respect, deepens understanding, and enhances the quality of our decisions. However, introspection also requires us to examine how our collective processes can be improved.
CJN asked: “Are our judgements addressing the root issues brought before us? Are we sufficiently attuned to the broader societal implications of our decisions? These are the questions that judicial introspection seeks to answer.”
“We are an appellate court for a reason, and the reason is that several heads are better than one.
“So holding conferences, exchanging opinions and ideas on matters that come before us is extremely essential. We have presiding justices here, and if it has not been your practice, I want to appeal to you that you start making it a practice. It is a very, very essential tool in the work that we do,” she pleaded.
The CJN explained that “in conferences, no matter your level in the courts, you have an opinion, you have experience, you have knowledge from whichever court you came from to get to the appellate court, and therefore your voice should be heard.
“It is also important that these conferences are held in good time so that where there are conflicting opinions, they can be discussed before judgments are given.
“It is also important to thoroughly examine judgments of the trial courts, the reasons for those judgments before they get to the court of appeal,” she further pleaded with Justices of Court of Appeal.
“We have recent decision or a case where a wrong interpretation was given to the decision of this court that informed the decision of the trial court. So some of these things will probably be brought to light in the process of holding conference. So that is my singular message here, that conference is a safe place, CJN said.
Speaking further, she said that while the court celebrate their achievements, they must remain conscious of the challenges facing the judiciary, case backlogs, funding constraints, just as she expressed happiness “with the promise and requirement we have received from the House Committee on the Judiciary.”
CJN said public perception of judicial inefficiency are significant concerns that she believe that through introspection, they can develop innovative strategies to tackle these issues internally.
President of Court of Appeal Justice Monica Dongban -Mensem said the conference is structured in line with the needs of the court and will offer a unique opportunity for introspection.