2027: NDC insists Obi’s candidacy intact despite deregistration order

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has moved to protect the candidacy of its 2027 presidential flagbearer, Peter Obi, despite a court judgment ordering the party’s deregistration.

The party said it has uploaded Obi’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, portal after filing an appeal and an application for stay of execution against the judgment.

National Leader of the NDC and former Bayelsa State governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, disclosed this in a statement, insisting that the party remains legally registered and eligible to participate in the 2027 general elections.

According to Dickson, the appeal and stay of execution application have been served on the INEC Chairman, with a covering letter urging the commission to act in line with the law.

He said the NDC had already conducted its primaries under INEC supervision before the court judgment, arguing that candidates had emerged for various elective offices across the country.

Dickson also revealed that INEC had granted the party access to its candidate nomination portal.

He said the names of Obi and himself had already been uploaded, while the name of the party’s vice-presidential candidate would be submitted once the required documentation is completed.

“What is left is the administrative process of submitting the names to INEC, and we have been granted access to the portal to upload our qualified candidates,” Dickson said.

The former governor maintained that the NDC was still within the timeline released by INEC for the submission of candidates’ names.

He said submission for National Assembly candidates would close on July 11, while governorship and state assembly nominations would end on July 17.

Dickson urged party members and supporters not to panic, saying the legal process was already underway and the party’s reconciliation process had begun after the conclusion of its primaries.

He assured aspirants who lost out during the primaries that they would be accommodated in campaign structures and party committees.

“The Nigeria Democratic Congress has come to stay and remains a duly registered party in Nigeria which has participated in all the political processes so far,” Dickson said.

The NDC is battling to reverse the court decision, with Dickson insisting that the final position on the party’s status will now be determined through the appeal process.