The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has formally petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC) against Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja following the controversial judgment that ordered the deregistration of the party and four others.
The development comes barely a day after the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling and restored the affected political parties, describing the proceedings that led to the judgment as fundamentally flawed.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Wednesday, counsel to the ADC, Alex Adum, confirmed that the party had taken steps to challenge the conduct of the trial judge before the NJC.
According to him, the appellate court’s decision reaffirmed constitutional democracy and protected the rights of political parties to participate in Nigeria’s democratic process.
“The ADC has filed a petition against Justice Lifu. The Court of Appeal judgment on the ADC’s validity is a return to constitutionalism, the rule of law, and multiparty democracy in Nigeria,” Adum said.
The lawyer faulted the earlier judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the ADC and four other parties from its register.
He argued that the ruling lacked legal foundation and should never have been delivered in the first place.
Adum maintained that the Court of Appeal had clearly established that the plaintiffs who initiated the suit lacked the legal standing to seek the deregistration of the parties.
He said the appellate court’s findings exposed serious flaws in the proceedings at the lower court.
According to him, the decision represented a case of judicial overreach and a departure from established legal principles.
The senior lawyer also expressed concern over what he described as a disregard for evidence and legal procedure during the hearing of the matter at the Federal High Court.
He urged the National Judicial Council to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the judgment and take disciplinary action where necessary.
Adum stated that judicial accountability remained essential to preserving public confidence in the courts.
In a related development, the Court of Appeal had on Tuesday nullified the judgment delivered by Justice Lifu which ordered the deregistration of the ADC, Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party and Zenith Labour Party.
The appellate court held that the suit upon which the judgment was based was incompetent and incapable of sustaining the orders made by the trial court.
The court further ruled that the plaintiffs lacked the legal authority required to institute the action, rendering the entire proceedings invalid.
The judgment effectively restored the legal status of all five political parties and cleared the way for them to continue political activities ahead of the 2027 general election.
Moreover, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, yesterday delivered a strong rebuke against Justice Peter Lifu while setting aside the judgment that deregistered the ADC and four other political parties.
The three-member panel led by Justice Abba Mohammed held that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit that resulted in the deregistration order.
The appellate court ruled that the case was initiated by a body that lacked the legal capacity to sue, making the entire proceedings a nullity.
Beyond overturning the judgment, the appellate court also criticized the conduct of the trial judge during the proceedings.
According to the court, Justice Lifu proceeded with the matter despite an earlier directive from the Court of Appeal ordering that proceedings be halted pending the determination of interlocutory appeals.
The appellate court noted that the attention of the trial judge had been drawn to the subsisting order, yet judgment was still delivered.
In its observations, the court described the action as “a form of judicial impertinence.”
The panel further relied on previous decisions of the Supreme Court to stress the importance of judicial hierarchy and compliance with orders issued by superior courts.
It stated that disregard for valid court orders undermines the administration of justice and weakens public confidence in the judiciary.
The court emphasized that no judge has the authority to ignore an order made by a higher court while such order remains in force.
The ruling marked the end of weeks of legal uncertainty surrounding the status of the ADC and the four other parties.
Before the final judgment, the Court of Appeal had already issued an order staying the execution of the deregistration ruling pending the determination of the appeals.
Recall that Justice Lifu had, in June, ordered INEC to deregister the ADC, Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party and Zenith Labour Party over alleged failure to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.
The ruling also restrained the electoral commission from recognizing the parties or accepting candidates sponsored by them.
However, with this Court of Appeal judgment, those orders have now been completely set aside.
