The Court of Appeal in Abuja has granted a stay of execution of the Federal High Court judgment that ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.
The appellate court, in a unanimous ruling, berated Justice Peter Lifu for proceeding with his judgment despite an earlier order from the Court of Appeal directing him to suspend proceedings. The panel described the trial judge’s action as “the highest form of judicial impertinence.”
The affected parties are the ADC, Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). Justice Lifu had ruled on Monday that they failed to meet constitutional electoral performance thresholds.
INEC supported the application for a stay, stating it was unaware of the judgment’s delivery and only learned of it through media reports. The Appeal Court halts deregistration of ADC and four others, halting enforcement pending the hearing and determination of the appeal filed by the parties.
Lawyers for the ADC and other parties also drew attention to the by-elections scheduled across six states on June 20, arguing enforcement could disrupt the electoral process.
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