Reverses High Court Order Ahead of Weekend Polls
• Slams Trial Judge for Judicial Indiscipline
The Court of Appeal on Tuesday evening ordered a stay of execution on a Federal High Court judgment that had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, and three other political platforms.
In a unanimous ruling, a three-member appellate panel set aside the verdict delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, faulting the trial court for violating the principles of judicial precedence and the hierarchy of courts. The panel noted that the lower court erred by delivering judgment on a matter despite a subsisting order to stay proceedings.
The legal battle shifted to the appellate court following an interlocutory appeal filed by the Accord Party. The party was challenging an April 27 ruling by the trial court which rejected its application to join the deregistration suit originally instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators.
Before the ruling, counsel to the respondents had urged the Appeal Court to exercise its disciplinary powers over the Federal High Court judge for the procedural breach.
The appellate intervention brings massive relief to the five affected parties, who had raised alarms that the high court order would jeopardize their participation in this weekend’s (June 20) crucial by-elections. The polls span several senatorial and federal constituencies across six states, alongside the highly anticipated Ekiti State off-cycle governorship election.
