The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to respond to its request for the access code required to upload the names of its candidates to the commission’s portal.
The party also disclosed that it would file an application for a stay of execution of last Friday’s judgment by the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, which directed INEC not to recognise the NDC as a political party pending the resolution of all legal issues surrounding its registration.
Speaking with The Telegraph on Sunday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said INEC had yet to act on its request.
“We have approached INEC, but they are yet to respond to our request. Hopefully, we shall be in court today to file for a stay of execution of the Lokoja Federal High Court ruling,” he said.
The Lokoja court had on Friday restrained INEC from recognising the NDC as a political party pending the determination of legal disputes arising from its registration.
The judgment came months after the same court set aside its December 2025 ruling, which had compelled INEC to register the NDC. The reversal followed an application by an association known as the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which claimed ownership of the logo the NDC used in obtaining its registration.
Rejecting the latest judgment, the NDC insisted that it remains a legally recognised political party and announced plans to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, described the judgment as legally unsustainable and maintained that it did not amount to a deregistration of the party.
According to him, the NDC lawfully secured its registration after the Federal High Court ruled in December 2025 that INEC had violated its constitutional right to freedom of association by refusing to register it.
He said that since its registration, the party has conducted membership registration, ward, local government, state and national congresses, conventions and primary elections in line with INEC’s timetable.
Zuwoghe added that the party had already participated in recent by-elections in Nasarawa and Enugu states and nominated candidates for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governorship, presidential and vice-presidential elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The NDC argued that the Peace Movement Party is neither a registered political party nor an association currently seeking registration under INEC’s ongoing registration exercise. It also maintained that the Federal High Court had become functus officio after delivering its earlier judgment and had already resolved issues relating to the party’s logo and colours.
Asked about the party’s legal team, Zuwoghe declined to disclose the identities of its lawyers, saying they would become public once the appeal was filed.
“Our legal processes will be filed by Monday. Once they are filed, Nigerians will know who constitutes the legal team and who is leading it,” he said.
Describing the ruling as unprecedented, he said, “In our opinion, this is one of the most unfortunate judicial decisions we have seen. It has no legal basis, and we are unaware of any judicial precedent that supports it.”
He further alleged that the ruling was part of a broader effort to weaken opposition parties and reduce democratic competition but expressed confidence that the appellate courts would overturn the decision.
“We still have faith in the Nigerian judiciary. The Federal High Court is not the final court in the land. We will pursue this matter through the appellate process and are confident that justice will prevail,” he said.
Zuwoghe also insisted that the party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Gregory Obi, his running mate and all other NDC candidates would remain on the ballot for the 2027 general elections.
He disclosed that he had visited INEC the previous day to obtain the party’s candidate upload code and intended to return after the briefing to continue the process.
“This court ruling has not stopped our work. Immediately after this briefing, I am proceeding to INEC to continue the process of uploading our candidates,” he said.
The party chairman urged members and candidates to remain calm and continue their campaigns, assuring them that the NDC would pursue all available legal remedies.
He also called on Nigerians to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), reject vote-buying, defend their votes and participate actively in the electoral process.
