The Federal High Court of Nigeria has announced that its registries nationwide will now operate on weekends and public holidays for the filing of pre-election matters ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The notice, issued on Thursday and signed by the court’s Chief Registrar, Yahaya Shafa, said the move was aimed at addressing the strict timelines associated with pre-election litigation.

According to the statement, all divisions of the Federal High Court will open their registries between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on weekends and public holidays strictly for pre-election matters.

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

The court explained that the decision became necessary due to the constitutional and statutory time limits governing the filing and determination of pre-election disputes.

“This has become expedient to meet the limited time frame for filing pre-election matters,” the statement added.