Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 election, has described the Lokoja court judgment nullifying the registration of the party as a dangerous setback for Nigeria’s democracy, warning that the weakening of democratic institutions could endanger the country’s future.
The Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja had on Friday set aside its earlier judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party. The ruling, delivered by Justice Isah Dashen, effectively nullified the party’s registration and ordered all parties to return to the position they occupied before the December 10, 2025 judgment.
Justice Dashen held that the earlier judgment adversely affected the interests of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which claimed ownership of the logo used by the NDC and was not joined in the original suit. The court consequently ordered that the substantive case be heard afresh with all interested parties joined in the proceedings.
Mr Obi, who said he received news of the judgment from his running mate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, while attending an event at Madonna University in Imo State, said the decision represented “another setback for our democracy and the institutions upon which our future depends.”
“It is regrettable that some who claim to champion democracy now appear determined to weaken the very institutions that sustain it,” Mr Obi said. “The legislature and the judiciary are increasingly being drawn into this pattern of institutional decline. Democracy cannot thrive where institutions lose their independence and credibility.”
The former Anambra governor said his intervention was not about political ambition but about the survival of democratic institutions. He recalled that he had previously condemned similar developments involving other opposition parties, insisting that his position had always been guided by principle.
“My concern is not about who becomes president. My concern is that Nigeria works,” Mr Obi said, adding that the country’s politics must move beyond the struggle for power and focus on building strong institutions, justice, the rule of law and equal opportunity.
The NDC presidential candidate urged Nigerians to defend democratic institutions and rise above partisan interests, warning that the survival of the nation is closely tied to the independence and credibility of its democratic institutions.
