Ondo NDC Speaks On Obi/Kwankwaso Presidential Ticket

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Ondo State has said its Peter Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential ticket remains valid despite a Federal High Court ruling setting aside the judgment that led to the party’s registration.

The Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja had set aside its earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party.

Justice Isah Dashen, in a ruling on Friday, held that all relevant parties must be heard before a substantive decision could be taken, saying the Peace Movement Party was a necessary party to the suit.

Reacting in a statement on Sunday, the Ondo State Chairman of the NDC, Mr Kennedy Peretei, described the ruling as a temporary legal setback that would not affect the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections.

“Our party, as directed by the National Leader, His Excellency Senator Henry Seriaki Dickson, the National Chairman and the National Working Committee, reassures its candidates, members and supporters that the party remains operational and that all nominations made remain valid pending the determination of the appeal.

“We express confidence that justice will ultimately prevail,” the statement read.

Peretei said the party was confident that the Court of Appeal would overturn the ruling and reaffirm its legal status.

The NDC recalled that after INEC allegedly refused to register it in December 2025, it approached the Federal High Court, which upheld its right to freedom of association and ordered the commission to register it.

The party said INEC complied with the judgment, after which it registered members nationwide, held congresses and a national convention, participated in INEC activities, and nominated candidates for the 2027 general elections.

The party argued that the Peace Movement Party (PMP) was neither a registered political party nor an association seeking registration, questioning the basis for the court’s decision to entertain its application.

It also maintained that the trial court had become functus officio after delivering its final judgment, adding that no appeal was filed against the original decision within the statutory period.

“However, our party also condemns attempts to use judicial processes to shrink Nigeria’s democratic space and frustrate legitimate political alternatives.

“We maintain that if any party was dissatisfied with the original judgment, the proper legal remedy was to file an appeal within the prescribed period rather than seek to overturn a final judgment through a motion,” the party said.

The NDC added that no order had been made directing its deregistration, saying its legal team had been instructed to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.