Barely twenty four hours to the judgement delivered by Justice Peter Lifu which restrained ADC and other four political parties from participating in the forthcoming general elections , the Court of Appeal in Abuja has ordered a stay of execution on the judgment of a Federal High Court that directed the deregistration of the five political parties pending the determination of the appellate court
In a ruling delivered by a panel of justices, the appellate court suspended the enforcement of the judgment handed down by Justice Peter Lifu, which ordered the removal of the ADC, Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) from the register of political parties.
The Court of Appeal 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.