Abuja: The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has vowed to continue as a legally recognised political party despite a ruling by the Federal High Court in Lokoja that set aside an earlier judgment compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register it.
At a press conference in Abuja, the party’s National Chairman, Sen. Moses Cleopas, told supporters to remain calm, stressing that the ruling did not order the party’s deregistration or cancel the nominations of its candidates for the 2027 general elections.
Cleopas described the judgment as “legally flawed,” insisting the court had no authority to revisit a matter on which it had already delivered a final decision.
He explained that the application leading to the ruling was filed by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which he dismissed as an unregistered group with no standing in the case.
He reminded reporters that the NDC had fought hard for recognition. After INEC initially refused to register the party in December 2025, NDC secured a judgment affirming its constitutional right to freedom of association.
Since then, the party has built structures nationwide — conducting membership drives, holding congresses at ward, local government, state, and national levels, and organising its national convention.
“We concluded primary elections for all elective offices and participated in INEC’s activities, including recent by-elections in Nasarawa and Enugu states,” Cleopas said.
He added that NDC had already nominated candidates for the presidency, vice presidency, governorship, National Assembly, and state assemblies, and was preparing to submit their names formally to INEC.
Cleopas insisted that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, remain on course to contest the 2027 elections. He vowed that any attempt to deregister the party would be resisted through all legal means.
For many NDC members, the ruling has stirred anxiety, but the leadership’s message was clear: the party is standing firm, its candidates remain valid, and the fight will now move to the Court of Appeal.
