The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja to request a stay of execution on a Federal High Court judgment that ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties. The other affected organizations include the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
During a Tuesday session before a three-member appellate panel, INEC’s legal team expressed surprise that Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court delivered the verdict despite a prior appellate court order issued on May 22 intended to halt the judgment.
INEC noted it received no official court notification regarding the delivery of the ruling and only learned of the decision through media reports.
Consequently, the commission is supporting the notice of appeal filed by the affected political parties.
Legal representatives for the political parties argued that the high court’s decision ignored judicial hierarchy and could disrupt upcoming by-elections scheduled across six states on June 20.
The parties urged the Court of Appeal to use its disciplinary powers to suspend the judgment immediately to protect the integrity of the judicial process.
The original lawsuit prompting the deregistration was initiated by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL). The group argued that the five political parties failed to meet the constitutional thresholds mandated by Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022, which require parties to secure at least one elective seat or win a minimum of 25 percent of the votes in at least one state during presidential elections.
More to follow…