Senior lawyers on Tuesday tackled Justice Peter Lifu of the Abuja Federal High Court over his continued hearing of a suit against the David Mark leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, even after granting an order which proscribed the party on Monday.
The lawyers told the judge that having proscribed the party on Monday in his judgment, the ADC in the eyes of the law was “dead” and cannot be resurrected by the same judge.
At the resumed hearing of a suit instituted by factional ADC national chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, Dr Suleiman Usman, SAN, who stood for David Mark, Realwan Okpanachi who represented Rauf Aregbesola, and Kalu Agu, counsel for Nkemakolam Ukandu, vehemently demanded to know the status of the party before proceeding in any suit against it.
Their demand was predicated on the judgment the same judge delivered on Monday, which expressly ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to immediately de- register five political parties including ADC.
They claimed that having deregistered ADC on Monday, in the eyes of the law, the party is dead for now and there is nothing for the judge to adjudicate upon.
In the tension soaked arguments, the lawyers insisted that a simple clarification on the status of the party would determine whether they would pack their law books and leave or stay back to speak for their respective clients.
However, Justice Lifu requested to know if the lawyers have obtained the certified true copy of his judgment and digested same, which was answered in the negative.
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