Relief for ADC, Accord, others as Appeal Court halts deregistration order

By WandooSombo

It was relief for the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Accord Party and three other opposition parties on Tuesday as Court of Appeal in Abuja halts the order of lower court to deregister them.

A Federal High Court, Abuja had on Monday directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the five political parties.

But ruling on the matter on Tuesday, a three member panel of the appellate court berated Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court for proceeding to hear the matter and issuing the order.

This they said was in spite of an earlier order of the Court of Appeal and the pendency of the case before it.

The Appeal Court said Justice Lifu exhibited judicial rascality by going ahead to hear and make the order.

The appellate court subsequently ordered a stay of execution of the judgment.

Justice Lifu had, on Monday, ordered the deregistration of five a political parties.

Aside ADC and Accord, the other three parties ordered to be deregistered are Action People’s Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)

In his judgment, the judge held that the parties did not meet the constitutional threshold stipulated under Section 225 of the 1999 Constitution.

Section 225 of the Constitution empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister political parties that fail to meet the constitutional requirements.

(NAN)