The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has filed an application before the Court of Appeal in Abuja, requesting a stay of execution of the Federal High Court’s ruling that ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties. Additionally, the electoral body has expressed support for the appeal filed by the affected parties.
Appearing before a three-member panel of the appellate court on Tuesday, INEC’s legal team, led by Mr. Haliru Mohammed, argued that the commission was taken aback by Justice Peter Lifu’s decision to deliver the judgment despite a prior order restraining him from doing so.
The commission further stated that it was not informed of the judgment’s delivery date. Instead, it learned of the ruling through media reports. “My Lords, we are aware of an order issued by this court on May 22, which halted the lower court’s judgment initially scheduled for June 5. We received no notice of the judgment’s delivery and only learned of it as breaking news in the media,” Mohammed explained.
Consequently, INEC announced it does not oppose the application for a stay of execution. “We therefore do not oppose the application of the appellant to stay the execution of the judgment,” the commission said.