ABUJA, Nigeria, July 29 (African News Digest) – The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has filed a petition against Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja over the now-overturned judgment that ordered the deregistration of the party and four others.
ADC lawyer, Alex Adum, disclosed this on Wednesday during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show, while reacting to the Court of Appeal’s decision that nullified the Federal High Court judgment.
The appellate court had set aside the ruling ordering the deregistration of the ADC, Accord Party and three other political parties, restoring their legal status ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Adum described Justice Lifu’s earlier ruling as “perverse” and an act of judicial overreach, arguing that the Court of Appeal had established that the plaintiffs in the case lacked the legal standing to institute the action.
“The ADC has filed a petition against Justice Lifu,” Adum said, describing the Court of Appeal judgment as a return to constitutionalism, the rule of law and multiparty democracy in Nigeria.
The lawyer also called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to activate its disciplinary procedures against judges whose conduct, he alleged, undermines judicial discipline and the established hierarchy of courts.
He said the Court of Appeal’s ruling had highlighted serious concerns surrounding the process that led to the deregistration order.
“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,” Adum said.
The ADC lawyer’s comments come after the Court of Appeal overturned the Federal High Court ruling, which had threatened the participation of the affected opposition parties in the 2027 general elections.
The development has intensified debate over judicial conduct, constitutional safeguards and the role of the courts in Nigeria’s political process ahead of the 2027 polls.
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