Abuja, Nigeria: On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, the Court of Appeal in Abuja, Nigeria ordered a stay of execution of a lower court judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister the African Democratic Congress and four other political parties.
Okay News reports that a three-member appellate panel led by Justice A. B. Mohammed granted the application to suspend the enforcement of the ruling delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court.
The appellate court criticised the lower court for proceeding with the judgment despite a May 22 order directing the suspension of proceedings. “The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution,” the panel said.
The panel invoked precedent from the Supreme Court of Nigeria regarding the conduct of the trial judge. “The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is the highest form of judicial impertinence,” the panel said. “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This court has supervisory authority over the trial court. This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for stay of execution is hereby granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed,” the panel said.
The lead counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission, Haliru Mohammed, told the court the commission did not receive official notification of the delivery of the judgment. “We were not aware of any notice from the court regarding the delivery of the judgment. We only saw it as breaking news in the media. We therefore do not oppose the application of the appellant to stay the execution of the judgment,” Mohammed said.
Counsel for the African Democratic Congress, Shuaibu Aruwa, requested disciplinary action against the trial judge. “The action of the trial judge calls for swift and extraordinary measures from this court. We have come to the stage where this court should press the reset button,” Aruwa said. “We urge this court to take disciplinary steps by immediately suspending that judgment. This court has the power to protect its own integrity. We pray this court suspends the judgment immediately without further delay,” Aruwa said.
The affected political parties notified the panel of by-elections scheduled for June 20 across six states. The Federal High Court had previously ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress, the Action Peoples Party, the Action Alliance, the Accord Party, and the Zenith Labour Party for failing to meet constitutional requirements.
