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APPEAL STANDS OR FALL ON POINTS APPEALED AGAINST

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Dictum

MICHAEL V. THE STATE (2008) LPELR – 1874 (SC); where my lord MUSDAPHER (JSC, CJN) (of blessed memory) said as follows: “It is the law that where there is an appeal on some points only on a decision, the appeal stands or falls on those points appealed against only while the other points or decision not appealed remain unchallenged.”

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RESPONDENT CANNOT COUCH ISSUE OUTSIDE APPELLANT’S GROUNDS OF APPEAL

Be that as it may, it would therefore not be necessary to go into the second issue formulated for determination in this notice of objection. But I will like to comment and emphasize that a Respondent is not permitted to couch any issue outside the perimeters of the Appellant’s grounds of appeal unless such a Respondent has filed a Respondent’s notice or Cross-Appeal. And where an issue for determination is not related to the grounds of appeal it would be incompetent and it ought to be struck out. See:- Falola v. UBN (2005) 7 NWLR Part 924 Page 405 at 424.

— J.O. Bada, JCA. Conoil v Vitol (2011) – CA/A/213/2010

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WHERE NO ISSUE ARISES FROM A GROUND OF APPEAL

In law, a ground of appeal from which no issue for determination was distilled is deemed abandoned and liable to be struck out without much ado. Consequently, Ground 7 in the Notice of Appeal are hereby stuck out.

— B.A. Georgewill, JCA. General Telephone v. Asset (2017) – CA/L/336/2015

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AN APPEAL IS A CONTINUATION OF THE CASE BEGAN AT THE TRIAL COURT

Aliyu v. Hantsi (2026) 6 NWLR (Pt. 2040) 573 AT 589 – 590, H – B: ‘At any rate, it is a trite principle of law under our administration of justice system that an appeal is a continuation of the action commenced before the trial court and so I agree with the learned counsel for the respondent that an appeal is a continuation of the action commenced before the trial court through to the lower court. Parties and indeed this court are bound by the issues as decided before the courts below. In Mohammed v. FRN (2025) LPELR-80420 (SC) this court held that – “It is elementary that an appeal is a continuation of the matter begun from the trial court, and so new issues cannot be raised on appeal … Therefore, the courts are resolute in affirming that a party must be consistent in the case he presents and he is not allowed to change his case from one level of court to another.”’

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AN APPEAL IS AGAINST A RATIO, NOT OBITER

It also has to be observed that an appeal is usually against a ratio not normally against an obiter except in cases where the obiter is so closely linked with the ratio as to be deemed to have radically influenced the latter. But even there, the appeal is still against the ratio.

— Oputa, JSC. Saude v. Abdullahi (1989) – SC.197/1987

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APPEAL AGAINST THE WEIGHT OF EVIDENCE

Mogaji and Ors. v. Odofin and Ors. (1978) 4 S.C. 91 at 93, Fatayi-Williams J.S.C. (as he then was) said: “When an appellant complains that a judgment is against the weight of evidence, all he means is that when the evidence adduced by him is balanced against that adduced by the respondent, the judgment given in favour of the respondent is against the weight which should have been given to the totality of the evidence before him. In other words, the totality of the evidence should be considered in order to determine which has weight and which has no weight at all.”

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JUDGEMENT NOT APPEALED IS BINDING

The learned counsel for the plaintiffs/respondents objected to the brief filed by the 1st defendant/respondent on the ground that she did not file an appeal against the judgment of the lower court and she cannot be heard in her brief to support the appellant.
In reply the learned counsel for the 1st defendant/respondent submitted that he was at liberty to argue the appeal as long as he does not go outside the grounds of appeal filed by the appellant.
It should be noted that the 1st defendant/respondent did not defend the suit in the lower court. She also did not appeal against the judgment of the lower court. It will therefore be outrageous to allow her to argue her brief in favour of the appellant before this court. The whole case revolved on her in the lower court. She chose to do nothing before that court and did not appeal against the judgment of the lower court. The implication is that she is satisfied with the judgment of the lower court and cannot be allowed to argue the contrary in this court. The brief filed on her behalf is hereby discountenanced and struck out.

– Ogebe JCA. Ohiaeri v. Yusuf (2003)

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