Appeal Court Suspends ADC Deregistration Order Pending Case Hearing

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has temporarily suspended enforcement of a Federal High Court judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister five political parties. The ruling on Tuesday allows the African Democratic Congress, Accord Party, Action People's Party, Action Alliance, and Zenith Labour Party to continue operating while their legal challenges proceed through the appeals process.

The Federal High Court had ordered INEC to remove these parties from its register after finding they failed to meet constitutional requirements needed to maintain registration status. Justice Peter Lifu delivered the deregistration order on Monday.

However, the affected parties immediately filed interlocutory appeals challenging the decision, prompting the three-member appellate panel to intervene and halt execution of the lower court's judgment. INEC separately sought a stay of execution through its own appeal filing, arguing procedural irregularities surrounded the judgment's delivery.

According to available reports, the electoral commission noted it had not received official notification of the judgment before learning of it through media coverage. The commission's legal team also expressed concern that Justice Lifu proceeded with delivering the verdict despite an earlier May 22 order from the Court of Appeal directing a pause in proceedings on the matter.

The appellate court's suspension means the deregistration order cannot take effect until the substantive appeal is heard and determined. During Tuesday's proceedings, the three-judge panel scheduled continued hearings to address the interlocutory appeal filed by the political parties challenging the lower court's decision and reasoning.