Parliament passes Tribunals Bill, 2026

After a marathon sitting that stretched past midnight, Parliament has passed the Tribunals Bill, 2026, despite stiff resistance from the Minority, which boycotted the approval process.

The Bill now awaits presidential assent to become law.

The legislation seeks to establish Regional and District Tribunals across the country to handle specialized cases, including illegal mining, tax and customs offences, fraud, and cases involving economic loss to the state.

Government says the tribunals will help speed up the prosecution of complex public interest and economic crime cases and improve access to justice.

But critics have raised concerns over the timing and the need for safeguards to ensure the tribunals remain independent.

The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, laid the Tribunals Bill, 2026 before Parliament earlier this year.

At the time, he said the proposed law was intended to improve access to justice, reduce the backlog of cases in the courts and reintroduce tribunals with constitutional safeguards and stronger oversight mechanisms.

Following its introduction, the Bill was referred to Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee and the Judiciary Committee for detailed scrutiny and consideration before being returned to the House for debate.

With its passage by Parliament, the legislation moves a step closer to implementation, subject to presidential assent.