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…Says Move Targets Obi-Kwankwaso Alliance, Warns Against Assault on Multi-Party Democracy
ABUJA, NIGERIA – The political pressure group, OKAY A NEW NIGERIA, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reject the recent court judgment from Kogi State seeking to compel the deregistration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), describing the development as a dangerous attempt to undermine the nation’s electoral integrity and shrink democratic space ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a press statement jointly signed by the National Coordinator of the group, Hon. Chibuisi Mba, and its Director of Strategy and Mobilization, Chief Sir Victor Iwualla, the organisation insisted that INEC, as an independent constitutional body, must resist all forms of political pressure and remain guided strictly by constitutional provisions.
The group argued that the electoral commission possesses the sole constitutional authority to register, regulate and supervise political parties, warning that yielding to the Kogi court judgment would establish a dangerous precedent whereby judicial decisions could be used to override INEC’s constitutional independence.
According to the statement, “INEC is a constitutional body with the sole mandate to register, regulate and supervise political parties. It has consistently stated that deregistration cannot be driven by political pressure, sentiment, or the wishes of interested parties and must be anchored strictly on constitutional provisions.”
The group further maintained that compliance with the judgment would weaken Nigeria’s electoral system and compromise the integrity of the country’s democratic institutions.
Defence of Lokoja Court Order
OKAY A NEW NIGERIA stated that the Nigeria Democratic Congress was validly registered by INEC following a subsisting order of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025 between Barr. Takori Mohammed Sanni and Others versus INEC.
The organisation argued that any attempt to reverse the registration through a conflicting judgment constitutes a direct assault on judicial consistency and on the constitutional rights of Nigerians to freely associate under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution.
The group noted that INEC had previously opposed similar attempts to deregister political parties, insisting that the affected parties met constitutional requirements and fulfilled the necessary conditions for registration.
The statement also referred to an earlier decision of the Court of Appeal, which reportedly faulted a Federal High Court judgment that proceeded despite the existence of a subsisting stay of execution order.
Consequently, the group urged INEC to uphold the principle of judicial hierarchy by respecting the Lokoja court order and refusing to implement any judgment that contradicts an existing and subsisting judicial pronouncement.
Alleged Plot Against Opposition Politics
The group alleged that the attempt to deregister the NDC forms part of a broader strategy aimed at reducing political competition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It likened the development to the June 15 Federal High Court order directing INEC to deregister five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), over alleged failure to satisfy the requirements of Section 225A of the Constitution.
According to the organisation, several stakeholders had already described such moves as “a dangerous assault on multi-party democracy.”
The statement warned that suppressing political platforms such as the NDC would amount to silencing minority voices, limiting voters’ choices and weakening democratic institutions.
“Nigeria cannot afford political exclusion that breeds resentment and instability at a time of insecurity,” the group said.
Obi-Kwankwaso Alliance Under Attack
The pressure group further claimed that the legal challenge against the NDC coincided with the formal adoption of the party by former presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as their platform for the 2027 presidential election.
According to the statement, the alliance between Obi and Kwankwaso emerged after extensive consultations and was designed to provide a credible alternative political direction for the country.
Quoting Senator Kwankwaso, the group said the alliance was formed after northern leaders assessed who could “work together with us honestly so that we can move this country.”
The organisation maintained that all attempts to frustrate the emergence of an Obi-Kwankwaso ticket through litigation, defamation or judicial actions would ultimately fail.
“We at OKAY A NEW NIGERIA unequivocally assure Nigerians that no gang-up built on litigation, defamation, or judicial manipulation will stop an Obi-Kwankwaso candidacy, especially now that it is clear to everyone that this is a movement rooted in the people,” the statement declared.
Demands to INEC and the Judiciary
The group outlined a three-point demand, urging INEC to resist what it described as political pressure and uphold the Lokoja court order that led to the registration of the NDC.
It also called on the judiciary to respect due process and the hierarchy of courts, insisting that judgments delivered in violation of subsisting appellate orders should be set aside.
In addition, the organisation appealed to Nigerians to reject what it termed attempts to use the courts as instruments for eliminating opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
Reaffirming its position, the group concluded by stating that Nigeria belongs to all its citizens and that political ideas cannot be suppressed through judicial pronouncements.
“You cannot deregister an idea, and you cannot cancel a mandate the people are ready to give,” the statement added.
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