The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has submitted a petition against Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja over his earlier judgment ordering the deregistration of the party.
The party’s lawyer, Alex Adum, disclosed this on Wednesday during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme.
Adum was reacting to the recent judgment of the Court of Appeal, which overturned and set aside the Federal High Court ruling that ordered the deregistration of the ADC, Accord Party and three other political parties.
The lawyer described the judgment delivered by Justice Lifu as perverse and an act of judicial overreach.
NEWSNGR reports that the Court of Appeal had ruled against the Federal High Court decision, holding that the plaintiffs who instituted the case lacked the legal standing to challenge the continued existence of the political parties.
According to Adum, the decision of the appellate court was a victory for constitutionalism, the rule of law and multiparty democracy in Nigeria.
He said the judgment also raised concerns about judicial discipline and the need for judges to respect the hierarchy of courts.
“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,” Adum 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.”
The ADC lawyer expressed concern over what he described as a pattern of some judges allegedly disregarding established judicial principles.
He faulted Justice Lifu for proceeding with the judgment despite what he said was the evidence presented before the court.
“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,” he said.
Adum further called on the National Judicial Council to investigate the matter and take disciplinary action where necessary.
He argued that the Court of Appeal’s decision should serve as a wake-up call for the NJC to ensure that judges who act outside the limits of their judicial powers are held accountable.
“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.
