How Justice Lifu Tried David Mark's ADC Case Despite Indictment By Court of Appeal, Protests By Party -- Party Officials
As ADC demands explanations from Chief Judge of Federal High Court, for sudden reassignment of case to Lifu despite opposition
... As ADC demands explanations from Chief Judge of Federal High Court, for sudden reassignment of case to Lifu despite opposition
By Chukwuma Nwali
The Federal High Court judge, Peter Lifu, who sacked the Senator David Mark- led executive of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, as well as voided all the actions taken by Mark while in office on November 5, 2026, had earlier ordered the deregistration of ADC.
Lifu voided the emergence of the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, as presidential candidate of the party.
Justice Lifu ordered INEC to deregister ADC and four other parties including the APP, AA, Accord and Zenith Labour Party on June 15, 2026 in the suit filed by the
National Forum of Former Legislators against the Independent National Electoral Commisdion, INEC, marked
FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026.
Justice Lifu heard and gave judgement on the matter even when his attention was drawn to the fact that the Appeal Court had on May 22, 2026, ordered him to stay proceedings on the matter.
He ignored the Appeal Court's order and gave judgement anyway, making the appellate Court angry.
However, reversing Lifu's order , a three -man panel of the Appeal Court, led by Justice A. B. Mohammed, described his judgement as a "brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution" as well as the "highest form of judicial impertinence" and "gravest form of judicial misconduct."
Citing Supreme Court precedent, Mohammed said, Lifu was unfit for the Bench.
"A judge who acts in such a manner is unfit for the bench as it amounts to judicial rascality," the appellate court stated.
The appellate Court also, nullified Lifu's judgement on jurisdiction grounds, saying the suit was filed by non-juristic body and Lifu should have dismissed it.
Meanwhile, the ADC camp and activist Henry Shield are now pointing to that June 16 declaration to ask NJC to sanction Lifu and transfer all ADC cases away from him, saying same judge who was declared unfit should not have heard the Nov 5 case that sacked David Mark and nullified Atiku's ticket.
The ADC Presidential Campaign Council, has also berated the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, for ignoring the Court of Appeal's indictment of Justice Lifu in the ADC's case by transferring the matter to him, despite the party's opposition against him.
The ADC- PCC asked Justice Tsoho to explain why he transfered the case from Justice Emeka Nwite to Justice Lifu barely 24 hours after receiving the party's formal protest against the reassignment, noting that the sequence of events raised serious questions about handling of the case as Justice Nwite had neither rescued himself nor ceased to a serving judge of Federal High Court.
Furthermore, the ADC condemned the alleged refusal by Lifu to release the Certified True Copy of his judgement until the last day allowed by the law, for the party to challenge his decision when he had declared after the judgement that copies were ready
A statement by ADC's Director of Strategic Communications, Phrank Shaibu on Tuesday, said although it's lawyers had submitted the legal questions to the Appeal Court, the public deserved to know how the case was reassigned to Justice Lifu despite its formal objection.
The party stressed that the Chief Judge owed Nigerians an explanation for disregarding it's objections against Lifu as the circumstances surrounding the transfer had created some elements of bias by the court.
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