Obi, Kwankwaso lead NDC’s battle against deregistration

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) is mobilizing its key figures, including presidential candidate Peter Obi and national leader Seriake Dickson, for an urgent appeal against a court ruling that nullified the party's registration. The Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, issued the judgment just two days prior, setting aside its earlier directive for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC.

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Yes, a number of closed-door meetings have taken place since the Kogi High Court judgment went viral. For instance, Obi, Senator Dickson, the party chairman, the secretary and other executives were in yesterday’s meeting. Even as we speak, there is another emergency meeting ongoing ahead of tomorrow’s appeal.

This judicial decision has heightened political tensions, drawing sharp criticism from opposition leaders who perceive it as a calculated move to undermine opposition forces ahead of the 2027 general elections. A senior party official, speaking anonymously, revealed that the NDC leadership has been engaged in continuous emergency meetings to finalize their legal strategy before lodging the appeal at the Court of Appeal on Monday.

Sources confirmed that Obi, Dickson, and other top party officials, including the national chairman and secretary, participated in closed-door meetings over the weekend to prepare for the appeal. Another emergency session was scheduled for Sunday to fine-tune these preparations. While the party's National Legal Adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, is expected to play a significant role, the specific lead counsel for the appeal has not yet been disclosed.

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I don’t think it’s appropriate at this time for us to announce who our legal team leader will be. By the time we file our processes on Monday, you will know those who are in the team and who the leader is. I don’t know if that answers your question.

National Secretary Ikenna Enekweizu confirmed the appeal filing for Monday but declined to name the legal team leader. He described the Lokoja judgment as unprecedented and legally unfounded, expressing strong conviction in securing a victory on appeal. Enekweizu asserted that the ruling represents an attempt by "the powers that be" to further restrict democratic processes in Nigeria, citing recent deregistration orders against other parties as part of a pattern.

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This is the worst thing that can happen in judiciary. That ruling has no legal basis. There is no precedent in law that can justify it. So, obviously, we see it as part of the attempts by the powers that be to further shrink the democratic process in Nigeria.