..Says Obi, Kwankwaso Will Be on Ballot
The Obidient Movement has accused the judiciary of being used to frustrate opposition politics following the recent ruling of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, which ordered the deregistration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The movement insisted that despite the judgment, the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, would be on the ballot for the 2027 presidential election.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja 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, alleged that the court judgment was politically motivated and aimed at preventing Obi from contesting the next general election.
New Telegraph recalls that Lokoja Federal High Court had on Friday ruled in favour of a suit challenging the registration of the NDC and ordered the party’s deregistration.
“The court held that the party failed to meet certain legal requirements for registration. The ruling has generated controversy within opposition circles, with NDC leaders describing the judgment as politically influenced and vowing to challenge it through legal means.
Reacting to the development, Tanko claimed that the timing of the case, coming shortly after Obi’s reported decision to join the party, raised questions about the motive behind the legal action.
“Just three days after Nigeria’s incoming president, 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 matter. In a very laughable manner, the judiciary entertained the case and delivered a kangaroo judgment,” he alleged.
According to him, the ruling was part of a broader strategy to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
“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,” Tanko said.
He further accused the judiciary of abandoning its role as an impartial arbiter by allegedly aligning with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“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,” he stated.
Tanko warned that continued public distrust in the judiciary could undermine democratic stability and the rule of law.
“The judiciary exists as the ultimate buffer between peace and chaos. It is the peacekeeping arm of civilised society.
“But 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.
He also alleged that the ruling party was seeking to suppress opposition platforms because it feared losing the 2027 election.
“The ruling elite is utterly terrified. They see the massive coalition building under the NDC banner. They know they cannot win a free and fair contest on the merits of their governance.
“That is why they are deploying state infrastructure and judicial technicalities to deregister and suppress viable opposition parties before a single ballot is cast,” he alleged.
While urging supporters nationwide to remain peaceful, Tanko accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of partisanship and deliberate attempts to frustrate opposition mobilisation efforts.
He called for the protection of judicial independence and an end to what he described as the manipulation of democratic institutions for political purposes.
“We shall defend democracy and protect judicial independence. Justice must prevail, and no political manipulation. Let the will of the people prevail,” he said.
Tanko maintained that neither the court ruling nor any other institutional obstacle would stop the opposition ticket from participating in the 2027 presidential race.
“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 declared.
