Nigeria's Appeal Court halts order to deregister four political parties

Nigeria's judiciary faces intense public scrutiny following a Court of Appeal order that stayed the execution of a Federal High Court judgment aimed at deregistering the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties. The appellate court's decision on Tuesday came after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) itself applied for a stay of execution, a move that Atiku Abubakar, a prominent political figure, described as particularly significant.

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I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgment seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties.

Abubakar expressed concern over conflicting judicial decisions and politically charged rulings, stating that these developments have placed the judiciary under a harsh spotlight. He echoed sentiments from the ADC's national chairperson, David Mark, warning that actions undermining Nigeria's democracy through judicial manipulation pose a grave danger to the Republic. The former vice president urged the courts to uphold constitutional principles and the rule of law, suggesting they still have an opportunity to "stand firmly on the side of the Constitution, the rule of law, and the Nigerian people."

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It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.

The Federal High Court had initially ordered INEC to deregister the ADC, Accord, Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly falling short of constitutional performance thresholds in previous election cycles. This judgment, if not halted, would have removed the ADC's presidential candidate from the upcoming race. The Court of Appeal's suspension was based on the grounds that the trial judge delivered the verdict in violation of an earlier order for a stay of proceedings.

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The disturbing spectacle of judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings playing out in our courts has placed the judiciary under intense public scrutiny.