Appeal Court stays deregistration of ADC and four other political parties
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has issued a stay of execution on a judgment that mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to deregister the African Democratic Congress ADC and four other political parties. A three-member panel, led by Justice A. B. Mohammed, unanimously condemned Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja for proceeding with the judgment despite a May 22 order from the appellate court to suspend proceedings. The panel characterized Justice Lifu's actions as "the gravest form of judicial misconduct" and "the highest form of judicial impertinence," citing a Supreme Court precedent that such conduct renders a judge "unfit for the bench." INEC's lead counsel, Mr. Haliru Mohammed, stated that the commission learned of the ruling through media reports and was not officially notified, adding that INEC did not oppose the application for a stay of execution. Counsel for the ADC, Mr. Shuaibu Aruwa, SAN, revealed that Justice Lifu communicated the judgment's delivery via WhatsApp and urged the appellate court to take disciplinary action. The other affected parties highlighted upcoming June 20 by-elections, warning of potential electoral and constitutional crises if the deregistration judgment were to stand. The Federal High Court had previously ordered the deregistration of the ADC, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party, and Zenith Labour Party for failing to meet constitutional requirements. With the appellate court's order, th
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