Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has criticised the judgement of a federal high court in Lokoja, Kogi state, which set aside the order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the party.
The court vacated its December 10, 2025, judgement
compelling INEC to register the NDC as a political party.
Delivering the ruling in suit marked FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025,
Isah Dashen, the presiding judge, held that the December 10, 2025, judgement
was delivered without hearing all necessary parties, rendering the proceedings
constitutionally defective.
According to NAN, the ruling followed an application by the
Peace Movement Party (PMP), which argued that it had a legal interest in the
case and should have been made a party before the court delivered judgement.
Dashen also ruled that material facts were not disclosed
during the earlier proceedings and ordered that the substantive suit begin
afresh with INEC, the PMP, and the NDC joined as parties.
Reacting to the development in a statement share on Facebook
on Friday, Obi said the ruling “represents another setback for our democracy
and the institutions upon which our future depends.”
“It was at Madonna University that I received the court news
of the Lokoja court rulings through my brother, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso,”
the statement reads.
“It is regrettable that some who claim to champion democracy
now appear determined to weaken the very institutions that sustain it. In doing
so, they are undermining public confidence and endangering the future of
millions of Nigerians.”
Obi lamented that the legislature and the judiciary are
increasingly being drawn into the pattern of institutional decline.
The former governor Anambra said democracy cannot thrive
where institutions lose their independence and credibility.
“Those who seek to weaken Nigeria’s democratic foundations
will not ultimately prevail. When a similar situation recently affected the
ADC, I condemned it without hesitation. I do so again today because my position
has always been guided by principle,” he said.
“My concern is not about who becomes President. My concern
is that Nigeria works. Our politics must move beyond the quest for power and
focus instead on building a united nation founded on justice, strong
institutions, the rule of law, and equal opportunity.
“That is the Nigeria we owe ourselves and the one we must
leave for future generations. I therefore urge all well-meaning Nigerians to
rise above partisan interests and defend our democracy.
“The survival of our institutions is inseparable from the
survival of our nation. It’s when we work together that a new Nigeria of our
dream is made possible.”
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