INEC MUST RESIST THE KOGI COURT JUDGMENT: UPHOLDING THE LAW AND PROTECTING NIGERIA’S DEMOCRACY
OKAY A NEW NIGERIA, a pressure group promoting the candidacy of Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, calls on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to immediately resist the recent Kogi court reversal seeking to compel the deregistration of the *Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC*.
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. To bow to this Kogi court judgment would set a dangerous precedent of using the judiciary to override INEC’s independence and weaken Nigeria’s electoral integrity.
*1. Why INEC Must Not Comply: The Lokoja Court Order and the Rule of Law*
The NDC was validly registered by INEC following a subsisting Federal High Court order in Lokoja, Kogi State, in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025 between _Barr. Takori Mohammed Sanni & Ors v. INEC_.
To reverse that registration through a conflicting judgment is a direct assault on judicial consistency and on the constitutional right of Nigerians to associate freely under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution. INEC itself has opposed similar deregistration moves, confirming that the affected parties met constitutional thresholds and presented certificates of return.
The Court of Appeal has already faulted a similar Federal High Court judgment for proceeding despite a subsisting stay order. INEC must uphold the same standard by respecting the Lokoja order and refusing to act on a judgment that undermines judicial hierarchy.
*2. Deregistering NDC is a Plot to Shrink Political Space Ahead of 2027*
This move mirrors the June 15 Federal High Court order directing INEC to deregister five parties, including the ADC, for alleged failure to meet Section 225A thresholds. Stakeholders have described it as “a dangerous assault on multi-party democracy.”
Silencing platforms like the NDC silences minority voices, reduces voter choice, and weakens democratic institutions. Nigeria cannot afford political exclusion that breeds resentment and instability at a time of insecurity.
*3. Every Gang-Up Against Obi and Kwankwaso Will Not Stand*
The coordinated attempts to block the NDC platform come at the same time Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso have formally joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress as Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates for 2027.
Senator Kwankwaso said the alliance was formed after northern leadership assessed who could “work together with us honestly so that we can move this country.”
We at OKAY A NEW NIGERIA unequivocally assure Nigerians: 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.
*Our Demands:*
1. *INEC must resist political pressure* and uphold the Lokoja court order that registered the NDC.
2. *The Judiciary must respect due process* and the hierarchy of courts. Judgments delivered in violation of subsisting appellate orders must be set aside.
3. *All Nigerians of goodwill must reject* attempts to use the courts to eliminate opposition ahead of 2027.
Nigeria belongs to all of us. You cannot deregister an idea, and you cannot cancel a mandate the people are ready to give.
*Signed,*
*Hon. Chibuisi Mba*
*National Coordinator, OKAY A NEW NIGERIA*
*07037233448*
*10, Bouake Street, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja, FCT*
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