The African Democratic Congress (ADC) says it has filed a petition against Justice Lifu Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja over the now overturned judgment that deregistered the party.
The party made the disclosure after the Court of Appeal voided the earlier ruling.
ADC lawyer, Alex Adum, made the disclosure on Wednesday during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show.
He was reacting to the Appeal Court judgment which voided and set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court that ordered the de-registration of the ADC, Accord Party and three others.
The lawyer described Justice Lifu’s judgment as perverse and a judicial overreach. Adum added that the appellate court stressed that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing, highlighting a failure of judicial discipline and hierarchy.
“The ADC has filed a petition against Justice Lifu. The Court of Appeal judgment on the ADC’s validity is a return to constitutionalism, the rule of law, and multiparty democracy in Nigeria,” he said.
“We are pleased that the Court of Appeal has made profound pronouncements on the decision to deregister five political parties, which it ruled lacked merit. It was also strange that, despite all the evidence before him, Justice Lifu still went ahead to deliver that perverse judgment at the Federal High Court, which was an overreach.”
Call for NJC Action Over Judicial Conduct
Adum said the situation points to a wider concern about conduct at the Federal High Court.
“Several justices at the Federal High Court are fond of doing what Justice Lifu has been doing. And so, for me, my takeaway is that with the decision of the Court of Appeal yesterday, it’s now become incumbent on the National Judicial Council, NJC, to activate its disciplinary procedures to ensure that these kinds of justices are punished,” he said.
The National Judicial Council is the body responsible for overseeing the conduct of judicial officers in Nigeria and can recommend sanctions, including removal, for serious misconduct.
The ADC’s petition adds to the fallout from the deregistration case, which had created uncertainty for five political parties before the Appeal Court intervened.
