The Court of Appeal in Abuja has postponed proceedings in the legal challenge over the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party and three other political parties, with the matter now scheduled for July 7.
The case stems from efforts to overturn an earlier judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister several political parties over questions surrounding their constitutional eligibility to remain registered….See More
At Thursday’s sitting, lawyers representing the parties informed the appellate court that key court records and the judgment being challenged had only recently become available, making additional time necessary for parties to prepare and exchange legal arguments.
Counsel for Accord Party, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), told the three-member panel led by Justice Abubakar Mohammed that the appeal records and Federal High Court judgment were obtained earlier in the week and had already been transmitted to the Court of Appeal.
He requested a brief adjournment to allow all parties complete filing and exchange of briefs ahead of substantive hearing.
No objections were raised by other parties involved in the matter.
Although a shorter timeline was proposed for filing processes, the court explained that scheduling constraints linked to official engagements of members of the panel made July 7 the earliest available date.
The dispute originated from a Federal High Court judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu in Abuja, which ordered INEC to deregister the African Democratic Congress, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party.
The lower court held that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional requirements necessary to retain recognition and continue participation in future elections.
INEC, however, opposed the deregistration position and argued that the parties had satisfied constitutional standards. The electoral commission also presented certificates of return issued to candidates elected under the platforms of the affected parties as part of its defence.
Attention now shifts to the next hearing date, when the Court of Appeal is expected to begin considering arguments that could determine whether the deregistration order stands or is overturned….See More
Be the first to comment