The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced that it has uploaded the name of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal despite a court judgment ordering the party’s deregistration.
The party said the move followed the filing of an appeal and an application for a stay of execution challenging the judgment.
In a statement issued on Monday, the NDC’s National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, disclosed that the appeal and accompanying application had been served on the INEC Chairman, urging the electoral body to act in line with the law.
Dickson insisted that the NDC remains a legally registered political party, stressing that it has participated in all electoral processes and successfully conducted its primary elections under INEC’s supervision.
According to him, INEC granted the party access to its portal for the submission of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
He revealed that the names of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and himself had already been uploaded, while the vice-presidential candidate’s details would be submitted after the completion of the required documentation.
The former Bayelsa State governor also noted that the party remains within INEC’s timetable, with submissions for National Assembly candidates scheduled to close on July 11 and those for governorship and state assembly candidates on July 17.
Dickson appealed to party members to remain calm, assuring them that there was no cause for concern despite the court ruling. He added that reconciliation efforts had commenced following the party’s primaries and promised that unsuccessful aspirants would be accommodated in the party’s campaign structures and committees.
He maintained that the courts would ultimately determine the party’s legal status following the filing of the appeal and stay of execution.
“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 added that all candidates for elective offices had already emerged through primaries monitored by INEC, leaving only the administrative process of submitting their names to the electoral commission.
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