By Augustine Akhilomen
The recent court order to deregister the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and other parties from participating in the 2027 general elections in the country some forces to prevent strong opposition parties from contesting against the party’s presidential flagbearer, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Within the space of three months, the NDC has had to contend with various court orders aimed, presumably, at preventing the party from causing any threat to the ruling party’s ambition of retaining power at all costs.
Barely months after securing a landmark court victory compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register it as a political party, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has suffered a major legal setback following a fresh ruling by the Federal High Court in Lokoja.
Justice Isah Dashen, in a ruling delivered a few days ago, nullified the court’s earlier judgment of December 10, 2025, which had ordered INEC to register the NDC.
Rather than determining the substantive question of whether the NDC qualifies for registration, the court held that the earlier proceedings were fundamentally flawed because an interested party, the Peace Movement Party (PMP), was not joined in the suit despite claims that its rights could be affected by the outcome.
The decision effectively resets the litigation process, placing the NDC’s legal status in limbo and reopening one of Nigeria’s most closely watched electoral disputes as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Just a few months ago, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) had its fair share of the battle after a court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the party. A Federal High Court in Abuja last week however gave the party the go ahead with its preparation for the general election next year, while also recognizing the Senator David Mark led executive.
This uncertainty and increasing legal hurdles that opposition parties have been forced to face has prompted heavy criticism from the ADC and other opposition leaders, who view the ongoing legal challenges against the NDC as an attempt to cripple democratic competition ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, the question on the lips of most political observers is, who is truly afraid of the opposition party? Many believed that the court move may have been sponsored by the ruling party, having not delivered sufficient dividends of democracy that will warrant overwhelming support in the 2027 general elections.
Observers believe the series of court cases, leadership tussles, and internal wrangling across opposition parties could be used to weaken their ability to mobilize supporters, conclude candidate selection processes, and present a united front against the ruling APC.
“We disagree as a party with the legal basis and propriety of the ruling. The party is taking the appropriate legal steps to ensure that the right thing is done,” Senator Seriake Dickson, National Leader of NDC said in his reaction to Lokoja Court ruling.
Dickson maintained that the NDC had not been deregistered and remained eligible to participate in the electoral process.
“The NDC has not been deregistered. The party validly conducted primaries for all elective offices, and those exercises were monitored nationwide by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” he stated.
He explained that the party successfully held primaries for state assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governorship and presidential elections within the timetable issued by INEC.
Also reacting to the development, the spokesperson of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habibu Saleh Mai Lemo, told Thepledge that the continuous court battles did not come as a surprise, alleging that the ruling party had consistently deployed various tactics to undermine political opponents.
“We already knew that Tinubu and the APC will do anything in their power to suppress the opposition, so we were not shocked by this new development because they have used several tricks to punish other opposition parties before us. So this will not destroy or delay any of our plans ahead of the 2027 elections.”
“We hope that the Court of Appeal will ensure justice is served because this ruling goes totally against the rule of law and we will not stand for it. This is not a fight for our political future alone; it is a struggle to ensure that the Tinubu administration does not succeed in destroying the opposition bloc and promoting a one-party system as it is clearly trying to do.”
“We must strive to protect democratic principles because this doesn’t just affect the members of the NDC or other opposition parties; it affects the fundamental rights of the average Nigerian by trying to take away our right to choose our leaders from a variety of choices as it should be in any functional democratic society.”
Also, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar accused President Bola Tinubu of working towards imposing a one-party state in Nigeria following a fresh bid to deregister the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
“Nigerians are now seeing the true colours of President Tinubu, who pretends to be a democrat, but his body language and the sinister activities of his agents contradict his mouthed commitment to free and fair elections.”
Atiku said citizens’ participation in free, fair, and credible elections remained central to democracy and that efforts to limit voters’ choices could create tension.
“If you’re truly popular and your policies have positively bettered the lives of the citizens, you shouldn’t be afraid of a free and fair competition,” Atiku told Tinubu.
He added, “Tinubu cannot be a champion of democracy under military dictatorship and now become the worst enemy of everything that democracy stands for.”
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Yilwatda and the Chairman of the PGF and Imo State Governor, Senator Uzodimma, have declared that the ADC and the NDC were not a threat to the ruling party.
“Why should we be afraid? If you look at it now, the fight is not between APC and ADC or within our political party, but ADC versus NDC. So, we’ve been vindicated when people say that APC was fighting the opposition.
“Now everybody has seen clearly that it is the opposition fighting themselves. So when you talk about having problems or challenges, why should we be afraid?
“All the by-elections – ADC has won none. In other by-elections, NDC has won none. The major opposition we have is actually PDP.
“And even the PDP has not done very well in terms of electoral performance. Performance is not on TV, it is not on radio; it is in newspapers, it is on the field during elections.”
The months ahead will reveal whether the NDC can evolve into Nigeria’s first truly durable post-2015 opposition coalition, or whether it, too, will succumb to the institutional weaknesses that have repeatedly fractured anti-incumbent alliances before they mature electorally.
For millions of citizens yearning for credible alternatives, the question grows more urgent: Can Nigeria’s opposition finally build a stable political vehicle before 2027, or will internal collapse once again hand the incumbent a decisive advantage before ballots are cast?
Even so, observers are worried that the electoral body is not doing enough to make the space more even and liberal for all the parties to participate equally without any hitch from sponsored agents. The judiciary too should be mindful in entertaining these suits that are meant to truncate due process. Democracy can only survive in an atmosphere of political competition, fairness and equity.