The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced that it has successfully uploaded the name of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal after filing an appeal and an application for a stay of execution against a recent court judgment ordering the deregistration of the party.
The development was disclosed on Monday by the National Leader of the NDC, Senator Seriake Dickson, who insisted that the party remains a legally recognised political platform pending the determination of its appeal by the courts.
According to Dickson, the appeal and accompanying application for a stay of execution have already been served on the Chairman of INEC, with a formal covering letter urging the electoral umpire to act in accordance with the law while the legal process continues.
He maintained that the NDC remains a duly registered political party, stressing that it has fully participated in all electoral processes leading up to the 2027 general elections. He noted that the party successfully conducted its primary elections under the supervision, monitoring and observation of INEC, resulting in the emergence of candidates for elective offices across the country.
Dickson revealed that INEC had granted the party access to its candidate nomination portal, enabling it to commence the submission of qualified candidates for the forthcoming general elections.
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He confirmed that the names of both the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and himself had already been uploaded to the commission’s portal. He added that the name of the vice-presidential candidate would be submitted once all necessary documentation had been completed.
The former Bayelsa State governor further explained that the party remains within the timetable released by INEC for the submission of candidates. According to him, the deadline for National Assembly candidates is July 11, while submissions for governorship and state House of Assembly candidates will close on July 17.
Dickson urged party members, supporters and aspirants not to be discouraged by the court ruling, assuring them that there was no cause for panic as the legal process was already underway.
He also disclosed that the party had commenced an internal reconciliation process following the conclusion of its primaries. He assured aspirants who were unsuccessful during the primary elections that they would not be sidelined but would instead be integrated into the party’s various campaign structures and strategic committees ahead of the 2027 elections.
Reaffirming the party’s confidence in the judicial process, Dickson said the courts would ultimately determine the matter in accordance with the law, adding that the filing of the appeal and stay of execution effectively places the dispute before the judiciary for final adjudication.
“Today, the NDC has filed an appeal against the ruling as well as a stay of execution/injunction, which has been served with a covering letter to the INEC chairman and his team to do what is right according to law and what is legally sensible,” Dickson said.
He insisted that the NDC “has come to stay” and remains a duly registered political party in Nigeria, arguing that all nomination processes had already been concluded in line with the law and under the supervision of INEC.
According to him, the emergence of candidates through duly monitored primaries means the party has fulfilled the legal requirements for candidate selection, leaving only the administrative process of forwarding their names to the electoral commission.
The NDC’s latest move comes as legal proceedings continue over the court judgment ordering its deregistration, with political observers expected to closely monitor the outcome of the appeal, which could have significant implications for the party’s participation in the 2027 general elections.
