NDC lawmakers reject Court order deregistering party

The House of Representatives’ Caucus of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on Friday categorically rejected and condemned the Federal High Court, Lokoja, order purporting to de-register the political party.

The NDC Caucus Leader, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene, who spoke during an exclusive chat with our correspondent in Abuja, described the order as a judicial coup against democracy.

He said, “For us and many Nigerians, this is not an error of law. It is an assault on democracy. This is a calculated pattern of judicial harassment. Nigerians have seen this script before.

“An earlier controversial judgement from Abuja sought to de-register five political parties by fiat. But the Court of Appeal promptly reversed that recklessness, affirming that no court can extinguish a political party through judicial shortcuts.

“Many Nigerians believed at the time that such an ugly chapter had been closed. Sadly, today’s ruling confirms a renewed campaign to suffocate the opposition by other means.”

While noting that the facts are indisputable, Hon. Ogene argued that “the 90-day statutory window to challenge our party’s registration closed long ago. And, strangely, INEC, the only constitutionally empowered body for party registration, was not the appellant in today’s curious judgment.

“A court cannot sit in judgment over its own earlier judgment, especially one in which the principal party to the matter, INEC itself, is not contesting.

“We consider this outrageous development to be forum shopping. This was not an appeal. The matter was surreptitiously returned to the same court that earlier ordered INEC to register the NDC. That is not jurisprudence; rather, it is lawfare — the weaponisation of the judiciary against political opponents.

“The timing apparently betrays the intent. The order was issued on the very day INEC was expected to open its portal and issue access codes for political parties to upload candidates for the 2027 elections.

“To target the NDC at the precise moment the electoral process entered this critical phase is not coincidental. It is calculated, deliberate and despicable.

“We make bold to say that this is all about 2027, not the law. And never justice.

“We hold the ruling APC directly responsible for this anti-democratic plot. The objective is clear: to muscle the opposition out of the 2027 elections and reduce Nigeria’s democracy to a coronation for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“We ask the APC: What are you afraid of? If you believe in your record, come to the ballot. Why are you afraid of competition? Why has the courtroom replaced the campaign trail?

“Let it be clear: Nigeria is not a one-party state. 2027 will not be a coronation. We will not yield. The NDC will not be de-registered by judicial decree. We will not be silenced.

“We will pursue this illegality through every available legal remedy, right up to the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court, if that is what is required to return to the path of sanity. We trust that the judiciary will rise above partisan pressure and deploy its liberating powers to defend the Constitution.

“If this order stands, it will trigger a major political crisis and destroy public confidence in the judiciary and INEC. That is a price Nigeria cannot pay.

“To all NDC members across the country: Stay calm. Stay law-abiding. Stay resolute. The NDC was born in struggle. No court order can kill that resolve.”