Deregistration of ADC, 4 others: Legal fireworks resume at Appeal Court today

Legal battles over the deregistration of five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), are set to intensify at the Court of Appeal in Abuja. A three-member panel, led by Justice Abba Mohammed, will today hear substantive appeals aiming to nullify a High Court judgment that mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the parties.

The parties, which also include the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), argue that the lower court's decision was flawed. This comes after the Appeal Court had already issued a stay of execution on June 16, strongly rebuking the trial judge, Justice Peter Lifu, for ignoring a prior order to halt proceedings. The appellate court deemed Justice Lifu's actions "judicial impertinence" and "judicial rascality," citing Supreme Court precedents that deem such conduct unfit for the bench.

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a form of judicial impertinence

The original High Court judgment, stemming from a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), declared that the five parties failed to meet the electoral performance thresholds stipulated by the constitution and the Electoral Act. Justice Lifu's order not only called for their deregistration but also barred INEC from recognizing them, accepting candidate nominations, or allowing their participation in the 2027 general elections. The NFFL's suit questioned INEC's constitutional duty to deregister parties that fall below specified benchmarks, asserting that the defendants had consistently failed to meet these requirements.

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is unfit for the bench, as the conduct amounts to judicial rascality