ADC has petitioned NJC against Justice Peter Lifu after appeal court overturned the deregistration judgment
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has revealed that it has filed a petition against Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, following the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn the judgment that ordered the deregistration of the party and four others.
The disclosure was made on Wednesday by the party’s lawyer, Alex Adum, during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show.
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Adum was reacting to Tuesday’s landmark judgment of the Court of Appeal, which nullified the Federal High Court’s ruling directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC, Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party, and Zenith Labour Party.
Describing Justice Lifu’s decision as “perverse” and a case of judicial overreach, the ADC lawyer said the appellate court found that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to institute the suit, underscoring what he described as a failure of judicial discipline and respect for judicial hierarchy.
“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.
He welcomed the appellate court’s ruling, saying it reaffirmed the constitutional principles governing Nigeria’s democratic system.
“We are pleased that the Court of Appeal has made profound pronouncements on the decision to deregister five political parties, which it ruled lacked merit,” he added.
Adum also questioned why the trial judge proceeded with the case despite the evidence presented before the court.
“It was also strange that, despite all the evidence before him, Justice Lifu still went ahead to deliver that perverse judgment at the Federal High Court, which was an overreach,” he said.
The senior lawyer further called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to take disciplinary action against judges found to have acted outside established judicial principles.
“Several justices at the Federal High Court are fond of doing what Justice Lifu has been doing. And so, for me, my takeaway is that with the decision of the Court of Appeal yesterday, it’s now become incumbent on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to activate its disciplinary procedures to ensure that these kinds of justices are punished,” Adum stated.
The Court of Appeal had on Tuesday set aside the Federal High Court judgment that ordered the deregistration of five political parties, holding that the lower court lacked jurisdiction and that the suit upon which the judgment was based was incompetent.
The ruling restored the legal status of the ADC and the four other affected political parties ahead of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
