The Court of Appeal in Abuja has halted enforcement of a Federal High Court judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.
In a unanimous decision on Tuesday, a three-member panel of the appellate court ordered INEC not to act on the deregistration pending the determination of the substantive suit filed by the affected parties.
The panel, led by Justice Abba Mohammed, held that Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court acted in defiance of an earlier directive of the appellate court when he delivered the judgment.
The Court of Appeal noted that it had, on 22 May, instructed the lower court to suspend proceedings in the matter until it resolved appeals already before it.
Justice Lifu had, on Monday, ordered INEC to deregister ADC, Accord Party (AP), and three other political parties over their alleged failure to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.
However, the appellate court strongly criticised the decision, describing it as a “brazen disregard for the higher court and judicial impertinence”.
By its ruling, the Court of Appeal effectively preserved the status of the affected political parties pending the final determination of the case.
