2027: Peter Obi, Kwankwaso will be on the ballot — Obidient Movement

The Obidient Movement has alleged that recent judicial pronouncements against the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) are aimed at preventing its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, from contesting the 2027 general election, insisting that Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, will appear on the ballot despite the court ruling.

Addressing a press conference titled “The Road to Anarchy: A Press Conference by the Obidient Movement on Recent Dangerous Judicial Pronouncements in Nigeria,” the National Coordinator of the movement, Dr Yunusa Tanko, accused the judiciary of being used to undermine opposition parties.

Tanko claimed that the court judgement deregistering the NDC was politically motivated and intended to frustrate Obi’s presidential ambition after he joined the party.

“Just three days after Nigeria’s incoming president, His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi, joined the NDC, a fictitious case was filed by a faceless entity to deregister the NDC, even though it had no locus standi in the case. And in a very laughable manner, the judiciary entertained the case and passed a kangaroo judgement on Friday, June 26, 2026,” he said.

He added: “For the avoidance of doubt, this is a hatchet job by the present administration to ensure that our principal, Mr Peter Obi, is not on the ballot in 2027.”

The Obidient Movement further alleged that the judiciary had abandoned its role as an impartial arbiter by allegedly aligning with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“We are completely blunt: the Nigerian judiciary is actively surrendering itself to the dictation and caprices of the APC regime. It is no longer behaving as an impartial guardian of justice; it has been captured and weaponised as a tool of partisan warfare,” Tanko said.

Warning of the consequences of what he described as judicial interference in the democratic process, Tanko said the courts remained the last line of defence against anarchy.

“The judiciary exists as the ultimate buffer between peace and chaos. It is the peacekeeping arm of civilised society. But if the judiciary outlives its usefulness, if it tells the common man that the courtroom is merely a marketplace where justice goes to the highest bidder or the most ruthless dictator, then the judiciary itself is signing the death warrant of our nation,” he said.

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He warned that continued erosion of public confidence in the judiciary could encourage citizens to disregard the rule of law.

According to him, the ruling party was allegedly attempting to weaken opposition platforms because it feared losing the 2027 elections.

“The ruling elite is utterly terrified. They see the massive, unstoppable coalition building under the NDC banner. They know they cannot win a free and fair contest on the merits of their disastrous governance. That is why they are desperately deploying state infrastructure and judicial technicalities to deregister and suppress viable opposition parties before a single ballot is cast in 2027,” he stated.

Tanko called on supporters of the movement across the country to remain calm despite what he described as attempts to frustrate the opposition through legal and institutional means.

“Do not panic. Do not lose focus,” he urged members, while accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of partisanship and deliberate sabotage during the movement’s mobilisation drive.

The Obidient Movement demanded an end to what it described as the use of the judiciary to manipulate the democratic process and insisted that judicial independence must be protected.

“We shall defend democracy and protect judiciary independence. Justice must prevail and no political manipulation. Let the will of the people prevail,” Tanko said.

He maintained that the opposition ticket would participate in the 2027 presidential election regardless of the court ruling.

“The joint ticket of His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi, and His Excellency, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, will be on the ballot in 2027, and we will defeat Tinubu, the APC, INEC, the judiciary, and all other state machinery working against a new Nigeria.

“A new Nigeria free from the shackles of the APC is possible, and it will happen in 2027, whether Tinubu likes it or not,” he added.