The Nigerian Senate has approved fresh amendments to the Electoral Act 2026, repositioning the Court of Appeal as the highest judicial authority for resolving pre-election disputes across governorship, National Assembly, and state Houses of Assembly elections. The upper chamber of the National Assembly also granted the Court of Appeal original jurisdiction to hear pre-election cases tied to presidential elections, with any further appeals channelled straight to the Supreme Court, effectively cutting out intermediate courts from the process. The legislation, which cleared both second and third readings on the floor of the Senate, was sponsored by Senator Simon Bako Lalong, who represents Plateau South. Tackling Conflicting Judgments The amendments push to end the damaging practice of forum shopping, which is described as a tactic where litigants deliberately file cases in courts perceived to be sympathetic to their cause. This has long produced conflicting rulings from court...