The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) says all its candidates will be on the ballot during the 2027 elections despite a court ruling that voided its registration.
On Friday, a federal high court in Lokoja set aside its earlier judgment, which compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party.
Isah Dashen, the presiding judge, while delivering a ruling in a suit marked FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025, held that the December 10, 2025, verdict was reached without hearing all necessary parties, rendering the proceedings constitutionally defective.
But speaking on Friday when he featured on Politics Today, a programme on Channels TV, Ikenna Enekweizu, NDC national secretary, said candidates contesting the upcoming elections on the party’s platform “have nothing to fear”.
“We were scheduled to pick up our code to start uploading [the names] of our candidates [to the INEC portal] today, but the ruling came up. I think it was designed and timed to stop us from picking up those codes. But I can assure you that we will pick them up,” Enekweizu said.
“We will upload [the names] of our candidates, and we will participate in the elections. I can also tell you, our supporters, members, and candidates, that they have nothing to fear. All our candidates will be on the ballot in 2027, and we will win elections.
“Nigerians are fed up with what is going on in this country today. We are fed up with the hunger, insecurity, failure and heartlessness of the government that is ruining this country today.”
Meanwhile, the party has instructed its lawyers to challenge the ruling at the court of appeal.
Moses Cleopas, NDC national chairman, said all nominations made on its platform remain valid pending the court’s determination of the appeal.
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