ADC Petitions NJC, Seeks Sanctions Against Judge Over Overturned Deregistration Ruling

By Opeyemi Adelakun

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC), seeking disciplinary action against Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, over the judgment that ordered the deregistration of the party before it was overturned by the Court of Appeal.

The party said the appellate court’s decision, which nullified the Federal High Court ruling, reaffirmed constitutional democracy and the rule of law, insisting that the initial judgment amounted to judicial overreach.

Speaking on Wednesday during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show, counsel to the ADC, Alex Adum, disclosed that the party had already submitted a formal petition against the judge, describing the earlier ruling as “perverse” and lacking legal merit.

Adum said the Court of Appeal found that the plaintiffs who instituted the case lacked the legal standing to seek the deregistration of the ADC and four other political parties, stressing that the decision exposed what he described as a failure to observe judicial discipline and established legal principles.

“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.

According to him, the appellate court made significant pronouncements in setting aside the judgment, adding that despite the evidence presented before the trial court, Justice Lifu proceeded to deliver what he termed an unjustifiable verdict.

“It was 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,” Adum stated.

The lawyer further alleged that similar judicial decisions had become common in some divisions of the Federal High Court, urging the NJC to invoke its disciplinary powers against judges found to have acted outside the law.

He maintained that the appellate court’s verdict should serve as a reminder of the need for judicial accountability, adding that the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic process depends on courts adhering strictly to constitutional provisions and legal precedent.