BREAKING: Court of Appeal Overturns Judgement Deregistering ADC, Other Parties [FULL LIST]
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned the judgment of the Federal High Court that ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party and three other political parties.
In its ruling delivered on Tuesday, the appellate court held that the Forum of Former Legislators, which filed the lawsuit seeking the deregistration of the parties, did not have the legal authority, also known as locus standi, to institute the case.
The court ruled that the group lacked the legal right to challenge the registration of the political parties before the court.
Based on this finding, the Court of Appeal declared the earlier judgment delivered by Justice Peter Odo Lifu of the Federal High Court null and void. It subsequently set aside the judgment and struck out the entire suit.
The appeal was decided by a panel led by Justice Abba Bello, who said the case should not have been entertained because the plaintiffs failed to establish that they had the legal standing required to bring such an action.
In addition to dismissing the case, the Court of Appeal ordered the Forum of Former Legislators to pay a penalty of N1 million for instituting the unsuccessful lawsuit.
The ruling is expected to bring relief to the affected political parties, especially the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Accord Party, whose registrations had earlier been threatened by the Federal High Court judgment.
The decision also reinforces the legal principle that only individuals or groups with a direct and recognised interest in a matter can approach the court for such relief.
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