INEC halts enforcement of order deregistering ADC and other parties

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has requested that the Court of Appeal in Abuja halt the execution of a Federal High Court ruling that ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.

In addition to seeking a stay, INEC supported a notice of appeal filed by the affected parties.

During a hearing before a three‑member appellate panel on Tuesday, the commission expressed surprise at Justice Peter Lifu’s decision to deliver the judgment, even though a prior court order had prohibited him from doing so.

INEC’s legal team, led by Mr. Haliru Mohammed, argued that it had not been notified of the impending delivery of the judgment. The commission said it only became aware of the court’s action through media reports.

“My Lords, we are aware of an order that this court made on May 22, which stopped the delivery of the judgment of the lower court, which was initially reserved for delivery on June 5,” the commission said. “We were not aware of any notice from the court regarding the delivery of the judgment. We only saw it as breaking news in the media. We therefore do not oppose the application of the appellant to stay the execution of the judgment,” it added.