The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has confirmed that it has uploaded the name of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal despite an ongoing legal battle over the party’s deregistration.
The party disclosed that it took the step after filing a notice of appeal and an application for a stay of execution against the court judgment ordering its deregistration.
National Leader of the NDC, Senator Seriake Dickson, made the disclosure in a statement on Monday, revealing that the appeal and accompanying application had been served on the INEC Chairman. He urged the electoral commission to act in accordance with the law while the matter remains before the court.
Dickson insisted that the NDC remains a legally registered political party, stressing that it has participated in all electoral processes leading to the 2027 general election, including the conduct of primary elections monitored by INEC.
According to him, the party was granted access to the INEC candidate nomination portal, enabling it to upload the names of its candidates. He confirmed that both his name and that of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have already been submitted, while the vice-presidential candidate’s details will be uploaded after the completion of the required documentation.
The former Bayelsa State governor also noted that the party remains within the timelines stipulated by INEC, with submissions for National Assembly candidates scheduled to close on July 11, while governorship and state House of Assembly candidate submissions will end on July 17.
Appealing for calm among party members, Dickson said there was no cause for panic, adding that reconciliation efforts had commenced following the conclusion of the party’s primaries. He assured aspirants who were unsuccessful during the primaries that they would be integrated into the party’s campaign structures and committees.
He further stated that the appeal and application for a stay of execution are now before the courts, which will determine the next legal steps.
“Today, the NDC has filed an appeal against the ruling as well as a stay of execution, which has been served on the INEC Chairman and his team to do what is right according to law,” Dickson said.
He maintained that the party “has come to stay” and remains a duly registered political party, arguing that its candidates had validly emerged from primaries observed and monitored by INEC, with only the administrative process of submitting their names to the commission remaining.
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