Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Court of Appeal, Abuja division will July 7, hear the appeals filed by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord and three other political parties against their deregistration.

A three-member panel of the appellate court fixed the date on Thursday, shortly after it ordered parties in the various suits to file and exchange their processes of arguments.

At yesterday’s proceedings, Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, who stood for the Accord party informed the three-member panel that the record of appeal and final judgement of the Federal High Court were just obtained on Monday and transmitted to the Court of Appeal as required by law.

The senior lawyer subsequently applied for a short adjournment to enable him and others in the matter file their briefs of argument and exchange same for the matter to be heard.

Since the application for adjournment was not opposed by parties in the suits the Presiding Justice, Abubakar Mohammed, subsequently adjourned to July 7, for hearing in all the appeals.

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court had in a judgement ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC and four other political parties on the ground that they did not fulfill Constitutional requirements in the previous election.

Although INEC opposed the move on the ground that the parties met required Constitutional requirements and even provided evidence, the Judge nonetheless deregistered the five parties.

However, the Court of Appeal on June 16 ordered suspension of execution of the judgement by INEC on the ground that it was delivered in flagrant disobedience to its order that proceedings in the matter should be put on hold.

The Court of Appeal had on June 16 ordered the stay of execution of the judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja which deregistered the five political parties.

The appellate court had held that Justice Lifu’s action amounted to an affront and judicial rascality on the hierarchy of courts.