INVESTIGATE LIFU RIGHT NOW – MAXWELL OKPARA

By PHC Telegraph

A legal practitioner and law lecturer, Maxwell Okpara, PhD, has urged an immediate investigation on the conduct of Justice Peter Odo Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja

Okpara said on the Wednesday edition of the Morning Show broadcast on Arise Television that the brazen disregard for an order of an appellate court by the judge of a lower court was both distasteful and alarming.

While he lauded the Court of Appeal for unanimously ordering a stay of execution of Justice Lifu’s ruling on the deregistration of four political parties, the law teacher said the Federal High Court  judge should be prevented from sitting as a presiding officer until the National Judicial Council, NJC,  takes a decision on his alleged misconduct.

He called on civil society groups, lawyers and other critical stakeholders to pile pressure on the NJC to immediately order an investigation.

Prior to the ruling, the Court of Appeal had asked Justice Lifu whose handling of matters involving the opposition ADC is on trial not to proceed with any ruling on the deregistration of political parties.

The Federal High Court judge defied the Court of Appeal and four hours later delivered an earth-shaking judgment asking INEC to deregister ADC and three others.

Okpara said if the judge had no interest he would have recused himself from further hearing the case brought against him by the opposition.