The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ordered a temporary halt to the enforcement 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 unanimous ruling delivered on Tuesday, a three-member panel of the appellate court led by Justice A. B. Mohammed criticized the trial judge, Justice Peter Lifu, for proceeding with the judgment despite an earlier order from the Appeal Court directing him to suspend all actions on the case.
The court described the move as a serious violation of judicial procedure and the constitutional hierarchy of courts, stressing that lower courts must obey orders from higher courts.
As a result, the Appeal Court granted a stay of execution, meaning the judgment ordering the deregistration of the parties cannot be enforced until the matter is fully determined.
During the hearing, INEC told the court that it was surprised by the Federal High Court’s decision and only became aware of the judgment through media reports, despite the Appeal Court’s earlier directive suspending proceedings.
The ruling means ADC and the four other affected political parties will continue to operate pending the final outcome of the legal dispute.
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