CIVIL PROCEDURE — Judgment Writing — Format of Evaluation — No Prescribed Style
Ratio Decidendi
Per Ogbuagu, JSC, in Garuba v. Yahaya (2007) NLC-123-84-1999(SC) at pp. 23–24; Paras D–B:
"The taking or dealing by the trial court with the evidence of the defendant and his witnesses first is immaterial. Too much weather was made about it... There is no specific style in writing of judgments. Indeed, it is settled that writing a judgment is an art in itself and that there are more than one way of going about it. That it is possible to have as many variations as there are Judges. What is essential is that all evidence adduced must be considered."
Explanation / Scope
There is no prescribed format for writing judgments. Judges may adopt different styles. What is essential is that all evidence is considered. The order in which evidence is evaluated (plaintiff’s or defendant’s first) is immaterial. The substance of the judgment is what matters, not its form or style.