Atiku Faults NDC Registration Reversal
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu’s government of plotting to suffocate Nigeria’s multiparty system, warning that the recent court reversal of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) registration is part of a wider design to clear the field before the 2027 general elections.
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) spoke through a statement from his media office on Saturday, June 27, 2026, responding to Friday’s ruling by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja. The court set aside its own December 10, 2025 judgment, which had directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC, holding that the earlier decision was reached without hearing the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which claimed ownership of the logo relied upon in the suit. The judge restored all parties to the position they occupied before the December judgment.
According to Atiku, the pattern is now too clear to ignore. “Nigerians are now seeing the true colours of President Bola Tinubu, who pretends to be a democrat, but whose actions and those of his agents contradict the commitment to free and fair elections,” he said. He argued that political strength should be tested at the ballot box, not by frustrating rival platforms, and challenged the President to allow a level playing field for all parties.
The warning lands amid a season of legal turbulence for opposition platforms. Barely two weeks earlier, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered INEC to deregister five parties, including Atiku’s ADC, Accord, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party and Zenith Labour Party, in a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators. The group anchored its case on Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC regulations, arguing the parties failed to win 25 per cent in any state during a presidential poll or secure at least one elective seat.
That judgment quickly unravelled. A three member Court of Appeal panel led by Justice A.B. Mohammed stayed its execution, rebuking Justice Lifu for delivering judgment despite a May 22 order halting proceedings, describing his conduct as “judicial impertinence” and “judicial rascality.” The appellate court has fixed July 7, 2026 to hear the substantive appeal.
The NDC, for its part, has rejected the Lokoja ruling. National Chairman Moses Cleopas insisted the party had not been deregistered and vowed to head to the Court of Appeal, arguing the trial court had become functus officio after delivering its final judgment. The party noted it had fielded candidates in the recent Nasarawa and Enugu by elections and concluded primaries across all offices.
Atiku drew a contrast with earlier eras, recalling that opposition parties were not shut out under former Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan despite intense rivalry. He appealed to judges to stay independent, describing the judiciary as “the last hope of the common man” and cautioning against allowing the courts to become tools in partisan battles.
Whether these warnings reshape the contest will likely turn on the appellate rulings now pending, with the July 7 ADC hearing and the NDC’s promised appeal poised to set the tone for opposition fortunes heading into 2027.