Appeal Court Overturns Deregistration of Political Parties

The Appeal Court condemned Justice Lifu's actions as “judicial impertinence” and “judicial insubordination” in a case concerning the deregistration of five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC). On June 15, Justice Lifu had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister these parties for not meeting constitutional requirements for continued existence.

He ruled that they could not present themselves as registered parties and barred INEC from recognizing them for the 2027 elections. The National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL) initiated the suit, arguing that INEC must remove parties failing to meet electoral performance thresholds as per Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution.

The Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, supported the plaintiffs, asserting that the parties' existence violated constitutional provisions. Following the trial court's ruling, the parties and INEC appealed, leading to the Appeal Court's stay of execution on June 16 and criticism of the trial judge for disregarding judicial hierarchy.