The Independent National Electoral Commission has uploaded the name of Peter Obi onto its portal as the presidential candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress, despite a recent court ruling that deregistered the political party.

The development follows a judgment by Justice Isa H. Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, which set aside a previous order compelling the commission to register the party.

The court nullified the registration after the Peace Movement Party claimed exclusive ownership of the logo used by the organization, arguing it was unlawfully excluded from the original lawsuit.

In an update posted on Monday night on his social media handles, the National Leader of the party, Seriake Dickson, announced that an appeal and an application for a stay of execution have already been filed and served to the electoral body. Dickson maintained that the political platform remains validly registered and has successfully concluded its primary elections, which were monitored by the commission.

He explained that both his name and that of Obi—who was recently ratified alongside Rabiu Kwankwaso as the party’s flagbearers for the 2027 general elections—are already on the portal, while the vice-presidential candidate’s documentation will be finalized shortly.
The party leader urged members and aspirants not to panic, emphasizing that there is still ample time under the electoral timetable to upload the names of National Assembly, governorship, and state assembly candidates.

He also commended the commission, led by Professor Joash Amupitan, for its professionalism and adherence to court directives in past administrative matters, urging the institution to maintain its neutrality.

“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 further assured supporters of the party’s resilience.

“The Nigeria Democratic Congress has come to stay and remains a duly registered party in Nigeria which has participated in all the political processes so far. My name and that of the Presidential Candidate have been uploaded to the INEC portal, while that of the Vice Presidential Candidate will be done tomorrow upon completion of the deposition.”

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