The Court of Appeal on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, suspended the execution of the judgement of a Federal High Court presided over by Justice Peter Lifu in which he ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other opposition political parties.
A three-member panel of the appellate Court led by Justice A.B. Mohammed, in a unanimous decision berated Justice Lifu for flouting an order it made on May 22, which directed Justice Lifu to suspend the proceedings before him.
The Appeal Court Justices described Justice Lifu’s ruling despite an valid order of the appellate court as “brazen disregard for the higher court and judicial impertinence”.
The Court of Appeal had on May 22, 2026, issued an order directing the Federal High Court being presided over by Justice Lifu to stay all proceedings regarding the case instituted by members of Former Legislative Forum that sought to deregister the ADC, Accord, Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), pending the determination of the appeal scheduled for hearing on October 27, 2026.
However, the Federal High Court presided over by Justice Peter Lifu jettisoned the order of the Court of Appeal as it went ahead on Monday, June 15, 2026, and delivered a controversial judgement ordering INEC to immediately deregistered the five parties.
The Federal High Court verdict came few hours after the ADC formally announced former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation as the 2027 vice presidential candidate of the party.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has
warned that any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic.
Atiku, who stated this in his official social media handle, said while welcoming the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgment seeking the deregistration of the ADC, and four other political parties, stressed that if Nigeria’s democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the ADC for the 2027 election, noted that it was particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
He said that the disturbing spectacle of judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings playing out in our courts has placed the judiciary under intense public scrutiny.
Atiku said that as the National Chairman of the ADC, Senator David Mark, rightly observed, “the judiciary itself is now on trial”.
The former Vice President said that the judiciary still has an opportunity to redeem itself by standing firmly on the side of the Constitution, the rule of law, and the Nigerian people.
