Supreme Court Proceeds Despite Wike's Holiday Declaration

The Supreme Court and Appeal Court of Nigeria continued their proceedings on a Friday, despite a public holiday declared by Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. This holiday was intended to allow residents to participate in area council elections scheduled for Saturday.

In contrast, the Federal High Court complied with the holiday directive and did not conduct any proceedings, resulting in a significant slowdown of legal activities in the area. The decision by the apex court to proceed with cases, including contract disputes, drew criticism from civil society organizations, which described Wike's declaration as arbitrary and lacking precedent.

Clement Nwankwo, the Executive Director of one such organization, emphasized the importance of encouraging citizen participation in elections and criticized the government's actions as detrimental to legitimate governance. The sudden declaration of a public holiday caused widespread inconvenience, effectively shutting down activities in the city on both Friday and Saturday.