The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has uploaded the name of Peter Obi to its nomination portal as the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), despite a recent Federal High Court judgment setting aside the party’s registration.
The development comes days after Justice Isa H. Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja nullified an earlier order that had directed INEC to register the political party.
The court’s decision followed a suit by the Peace Movement Party, which argued that it was the rightful owner of the logo adopted by the NDC and that it had been unlawfully excluded from the proceedings that led to the party’s registration.
Despite the ruling, the National Leader of the NDC, Senator Seriake Dickson, announced on Monday night that the party had filed a notice of appeal alongside an application for a stay of execution, both of which, he said, had been served on INEC.
Dickson maintained that the NDC remains a legally recognised political party pending the determination of the appeal, noting that the party had successfully conducted its primary elections under the supervision of the electoral commission.
According to him, his name and that of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have already been uploaded to the INEC portal, while documentation relating to the vice-presidential candidate is expected to be completed shortly.
Obi was recently ratified as the NDC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election alongside former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso as his running mate.
The former Bayelsa State governor urged party members and aspirants to remain calm, stressing that sufficient time remains under the electoral timetable to upload the names of National Assembly, governorship and State House of Assembly candidates.
He also commended INEC for what he described as its professionalism and adherence to judicial directives in previous administrative matters, while urging the commission to remain neutral throughout the electoral process.
“Today, the NDC has filed an appeal against the ruling as well as a stay of execution, which has been served on the INEC Chairman and his team to do what is right according to law,” Dickson said.
He added that the party’s nomination processes had been concluded and that only the administrative process of uploading candidates’ names to the commission’s portal remained.
The legal dispute over the status of the NDC is expected to be determined by the appellate court, while the party continues preparations for the 2027 general elections.
