The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking a stay of execution of the Federal High Court judgment that ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.
The affected parties are the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
At Tuesday’s proceedings before a three-member panel of the appellate court, INEC’s legal team said it was surprised that Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment despite an earlier order of the Court of Appeal issued on May 22, which, according to the commission, was meant to halt the delivery of the verdict.
INEC further stated that it was not officially notified of the judgment and only became aware of the ruling through media reports. The commission told the court it was backing the notice of appeal filed by the affected political parties.
Counsel to the parties argued that the Federal High Court acted in disregard of the judicial hierarchy, warning that the judgment could disrupt by-elections scheduled to hold in six states on June 20.
They urged the Court of Appeal to exercise its supervisory powers and immediately suspend the enforcement of the judgment pending the determination of the appeal.
The suit that led to the deregistration order was filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which argued that the five parties failed to satisfy the requirements of Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022.
According to the group, political parties must win at least one elective seat or secure a minimum of 25 per cent of votes in at least one state in a presidential election to retain registration.
More to follow…
