Chuks Okocha in Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), has demanded the immediate release of Justice Peter Lifu’s judgment.
The ADC said Justice Lifu had declared in open court that copies of the judgement were ready, but lamented that, ‘’Our counsel applied for the certified copy and paid the required fee, yet the judgment remains out of reach.’’
In a statement, yesterday, the ADC Presidential Campaign Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the inability to make the certified true copies of the judgement available to party’s lawyers is indefensible.
‘’This is an indefensible denial of access to a ruling that directly affects the party and its members. If the judgment was ready, there is no excuse for keeping it from the parties. Release it now.
‘’Our counsel for the first defendant filed a formal application for the certified true copy on 6 November 2026 and paid the assessed fee. Counsel for the third defendant applied the day before, on the very day the judgment was delivered.
‘’Both applications carry the Federal High Court’s ‘PAID’ stamp. Every requirement was met. Yet the applicants are still being denied the judgment.
‘’This is not a routine administrative delay. It is a denial of access to a court decision that directly affects the rights of the parties. Justice Lifu declared the judgment is ready; the applicants paid for its certified copy; the court has acknowledged payment.
‘’Why, then, are they still being kept in the dark? A judge cannot announce that a judgment is ready and leave litigants to chase the document they need to understand and challenge it.
‘’Withholding its certified copy prevents the affected parties from knowing the exact orders made and responding fully through the courts. If the ruling is sound, there is no justification for keeping it out of reach.
‘’The Federal High Court must release the judgment immediately and explain why paid applications have gone unanswered. Public confidence cannot survive a process in which consequential judgments are announced, but their official records are denied to the parties,’’ the ADC Director of Strategic Communication stated.