Appeal Court Suspends Deregistration of ADC, Four Other Parties, Rebukes Judge

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has halted the enforcement of a Federal High Court judgment that ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In a unanimous decision delivered on Tuesday, a three-member panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Abba Mohammed, held that the trial judge, Justice Peter Lifu, acted improperly by delivering judgment despite an earlier directive from the Court of Appeal ordering a stay of proceedings in the matter.

The appellate court noted that on May 22, it had instructed the lower court to suspend all proceedings pending the resolution of appeals already before it. However, Justice Lifu proceeded to deliver judgment, a move the appellate court described as a clear disregard for judicial hierarchy and constitutional order.

Justice Mohammed stated that courts must safeguard the integrity of the judicial system and respect the authority of superior courts. He emphasized that the lower court’s action amounted to a direct violation of the Court of Appeal’s order and the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

Consequently, the appellate court granted an application seeking a stay of execution of the judgment, effectively suspending its enforcement pending the determination of the appeals.

The panel further described the lower court’s conduct as an act of “judicial impertinence,” noting that the Supreme Court had previously condemned similar actions as “judicial rascality” and declared judges who engage in such conduct unfit for the bench.

The court fixed June 25 for the hearing of the substantive appeals and directed the appellants to file their processes within three days, while respondents were given two days to submit their responses.

Justice Lifu had, on Monday, ordered INEC to deregister the ADC, Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), ruling that they failed to satisfy constitutional requirements for continued registration.

The judgment also barred INEC from recognizing the affected parties, accepting candidates nominated by them, or allowing them to participate in the 2027 general elections.

The suit was instituted by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which argued that the parties no longer met the constitutional benchmarks necessary to retain their registration as political parties.