Legal practitioners, activists and other stakeholders have called for stronger disciplinary measures within Nigeria’s judiciary following the Court of Appeal’s condemnation of the conduct of a Federal High Court judge in a political party deregistration case.

The controversy arose after Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered a judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties despite an earlier Court of Appeal order directing that proceedings in the matter be suspended.

The affected parties were the ADC, Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party and Zenith Labour Party.

On May 22, 2026, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal had ordered the Federal High Court to halt further proceedings pending the determination of the appeal. However, Justice Lifu proceeded to deliver judgment on June 15, prompting the appellate court to intervene the following day.

The Court of Appeal subsequently stayed the execution of the judgment and criticised the lower court’s action as a serious breach of judicial hierarchy and an affront to the authority of the appellate court. The panel also described the conduct as “judicial rascality” and “judicial impertinence.”

The Federal High Court had held that the five parties failed to satisfy constitutional requirements for continued registration and consequently directed INEC to remove them from its register.

The development has triggered calls for the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and take appropriate action if misconduct is established.

A university don and former President of the Ijaw National Congress, Prof Benjamin Okaba, described the incident as troubling, warning that disregard for superior court orders could erode public confidence in the judiciary and weaken constitutional governance.

Okaba called for a thorough investigation through the appropriate constitutional mechanisms, alongside stronger judicial ethics, continuing legal education and safeguards against external interference.

Similarly, Convener of the South South Reawakening Group, Elder Joseph Ambakederimo, criticised what he described as “judicial gymnastics,” attributing some of the judiciary’s challenges to broader institutional and societal problems, including alleged political interference.

Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of HYPREP, Dr Mike Nwielaghi, urged the NJC to act decisively, warning that failure to address alleged breaches of judicial hierarchy could undermine democracy and create institutional disorder.

Other stakeholders, including Niger Delta Peace Coalition Coordinator Zik Gbemre, CLO Chairman in Bayelsa State, Comrade David West, and human rights activists Marxist Kola Edikoayi and Comrade Nelson Ekujumi, also called for accountability and stronger enforcement of judicial discipline.

Former NBA Owo Branch Chairman, Barrister Tajudeen Olutope-Ahmed, said lower courts were bound by decisions and orders of superior courts, stressing that deliberate disregard of such orders could weaken the rule of law and public confidence in the justice system.

Human rights activist Femi Aborisade, however, cautioned against assuming deliberate misconduct without establishing the full circumstances, including whether there were conflicting orders, procedural issues or questions surrounding notification.

He nevertheless said that if deliberate disobedience of a superior court order was established, appropriate disciplinary measures would be necessary to protect the integrity of the judiciary.

The Court of Appeal later set aside the Federal High Court’s deregistration judgment in July, ruling that the lower court had wrongly assumed jurisdiction and that the suit underpinning the order was incompetent. It consequently affirmed that the five political parties remained registered.