Abure-led LP applauds A’Court for halting deregistration of ADC, others
Julius Abure
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The Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party on Tuesday welcomed the decision of the Court of Appeal to suspend the execution of a Federal High Court judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister five political parties, describing the appellate court’s intervention as a victory for democracy and the rule of law.
The appellate court had halted the implementation of a controversial judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, factional National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, faulted Justice Lifu’s decision, accusing the judge of disregarding established legal principles and judicial hierarchy in delivering the ruling.
Ifoh expressed concern over what he described as the deterioration of standards within parts of the judiciary, alleging that the same judge had previously delivered judgments that negatively affected the Labour Party.
He said, “The Appeal Court has done the right thing. It is not proper for Justice Lifu to rush into making that judgment, especially on the eve of an Appeal Court sitting. He ought to know that the appellate court has powers over the lower court. Again, he does not have the power, according to the hierarchy of the judiciary, to go into that judgment.
“That is exactly what we are pointing out here. The National Judicial Council should look into this matter. It goes beyond pronouncing judgment. There has to be a reason why he jumped the gun. Funny enough, he was asked that very day whether he knew that this matter was before the Appeal Court, and he said he knew. So what prompted him to go into that judgment?
“As a party, we believe the stay of execution by the Appeal Court was in order. It should be allowed to look into that matter. There are a whole lot of things involved. Why allow political parties to sell forms, make presentations and bring people to contest before giving such a judgment? What do you want those people to do?”
The LP spokesman argued that the implications of the judgment extended beyond the affected parties, noting that candidates had already emerged through established electoral processes and preparations for future elections were ongoing.
Continuing, Ifoh said the Labour Party remained one of the biggest victims of what he termed judicial inconsistencies, insisting that previous rulings by Justice Lifu had adversely affected the party’s internal affairs.
He said, “It must be noted that apart from the deregistration of ADC and some other political parties, we in the Labour Party are the worst hit by the judgment of Justice Peter Lifu.
“We want to say that, as of now, the judgment of the Federal High Court negates and it is against all known principles of law. In any event, our only regret, however, is that this same judgment delivered by Justice Lifu was also affirmed by the Court of Appeal.
“We, however, believe that the Supreme Court will do justice to the matter and do the right thing, being the final court of redress. It is on this basis that I want to call on the courageous judges of the Supreme Court to rise to the occasion and steer our ship of judiciary out of where it is currently headed.”
The controversy stems from a Federal High Court judgment that directed INEC to deregister five political parties over issues relating to constitutional and electoral compliance.
However, the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday suspended the execution of that judgment and sharply criticised the conduct of the trial court.
In a unanimous decision delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice A.B. Mohammed, the appellate court described the lower court’s actions as a serious breach of judicial hierarchy, holding that Justice Lifu proceeded with the matter despite an earlier order restraining him from doing so.
According to the appellate court, the trial judge ignored a May 22 order directing him to suspend proceedings pending the determination of an appeal challenging his jurisdiction to continue with the case.
The panel further described the conduct as one of the gravest forms of judicial misconduct, stressing that appellate courts have a constitutional responsibility to maintain discipline within the judicial system and preserve respect for the hierarchy of courts.
During proceedings, counsel to INEC, Haliru Mohammed, told the appellate court that the commission was surprised by Justice Lifu’s decision to deliver the judgment despite the subsisting restraining order.
According to him, INEC only became aware of the ruling through media reports and had expected the trial court to abide by the directive of the Court of Appeal, which had intervened before the judgment date.
The ruling has temporarily preserved the legal status of the affected political parties pending the determination of substantive appeals and is expected to have significant implications for Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of future electoral contests.
The PUNCH journalist, Adebayo, has over 20 years of experience covering politics, health, metro, entertainment and properties
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