THE presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has welcomed the decision of the Court of Appeal to suspend the enforcement of a Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of the party and four others.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, had on Monday directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC, Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party and Zenith Labour Party.
The court held that the affected parties failed to satisfy the constitutional requirements outlined in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution, including securing the stipulated percentage of votes in elections or winning legislative seats during the 2023 general elections.
The Court of Appeal however yesterday granted a stay of execution of the ruling, allowing the parties to retain their registration status pending the determination of the appeal and ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Reacting to the development in a statement shared on his X account, Atiku described the appellate court’s decision as a welcome step, noting that the application for the stay of execution was filed by INEC.
“I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgment seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay,” he said.
The former vice president also expressed concern over what he described as conflicting judicial decisions and politically influenced rulings, warning that such developments could erode public confidence in the judiciary.
He referenced remarks by ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark, who recently stated that the judiciary was under intense public scrutiny.
According to Atiku, any attempt to weaken Nigeria’s democratic institutions through the courts poses a serious threat to the country’s democratic progress.
“The judiciary still has an opportunity to redeem itself by standing firmly on the side of the Constitution, the rule of law and the Nigerian people,” he added.
The Appeal Court’s ruling temporarily preserves the legal status of the affected parties as the dispute over their deregistration continues.
