Five opposition political parties were last week heaved a sigh of relief when the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal set aside the June 15, 2026 perverse judgement delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister them ahead of the 2027 elections.
The appellate court specifically declared the judgement that ordered INEC to deregister the parties “null and void”.
Recall that Justice Lifu of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, had ordered the electoral body to deregister the party over its performance after the 2023 general elections.
However, the political parties, including ADC, the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) sought nullification of the Federal High Court judgment.
The appellate court, while describing the judgement “a nullity” held that “what the learned trial court did amount to judicial impertinence or what the Supreme Court called judicial insubordination.”
