Appeal Court halts deregistration of ADC, 4 other political parties

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has temporarily stopped the implementation of a Federal High Court judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.

In a significant ruling, the appellate court granted an immediate stay of execution of the lower court’s judgment, effectively preventing INEC from proceeding with any action aimed at removing the parties from the register of political parties.

The development comes barely a day after Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court ordered the electoral body to deregister the ADC, the Accord Party (AP) and three other political parties over alleged failure to satisfy constitutional requirements for continued registration.

In a strongly worded ruling, the three-member panel of the Court of Appeal reportedly criticised the lower court’s action, describing it as a “brazen disregard for the higher court” and an act of “judicial impertinence.”

The appellate court held that the status quo must be maintained until the legal issues surrounding the deregistration are fully resolved.

The ruling effectively suspends any move by INEC to enforce the Federal High Court judgment and ensures that the affected parties retain their legal status pending the final outcome of the case.

The judgment is expected to intensify the legal and political battle surrounding the deregistration controversy, which has attracted widespread reactions from opposition parties and political stakeholders.

Further details of the Appeal Court’s decision are expected as the full ruling becomes available.