Barely twenty four hours after Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress, APP, AA, Accord and ZLP, the Court of Appeal in Abuja has halted the ruling. In a decisive stay of execution, the appellate court suspended enforcement of the judgment that would have barred the five parties from the 2027 ballot, pending its final determination.
The Court of Appeal in its rulling, strongly criticised the decision of the trial court to proceed with hearing and determining the matter despite an earlier order issued by the appellate court and the fact that the case was already pending before it.
According to the appellate court, Justice Lifu’s action amounted to a violation of the judicial hierarchy and an affront to the authority of superior courts. The justices described the development as a serious breach of established judicial procedures.
The court noted that it has supervisory powers over lower courts and stressed that court orders must be obeyed to preserve the integrity of the judicial system. It further stated that proceeding with the judgment despite its directive represented a brazen disregard for the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
Consequently, the appellate court granted the application for a stay of execution, effectively halting any enforcement of the Federal High Court judgment until the matter is fully resolved.
