The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has criticised the Federal High Court ruling that set aside an earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the party, describing the decision as a setback for Nigeria’s democracy.
Reacting to the judgment delivered by Justice Isah Dashen in Lokoja, Obi said the ruling reflected a worrying decline in the country’s democratic institutions and warned against actions capable of weakening public confidence in the judiciary and other arms of government.
Obi disclosed that he received news of the judgment from his political ally, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, while attending official engagements at Madonna University after visiting a School of Nursing Sciences and participating in the 80th birthday celebration of Emeritus Archbishop Anthony Obinna.
According to the former Anambra State governor, democracy cannot thrive if key institutions such as the legislature and the judiciary lose their independence and credibility.
He stressed that his criticism was based on principle rather than personal political interest, recalling that he had also condemned the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under similar circumstances.
“Every Nigerian committed to the country’s progress should be deeply concerned. This judgment represents another setback for our democracy and the institutions upon which our future depends.
“It is regrettable that some who claim to champion democracy now appear determined to weaken the very institutions that sustain it. In doing so, they are undermining public confidence and endangering the future of millions of Nigerians.”
Obi maintained that efforts to undermine democratic institutions would ultimately fail and urged Nigerians to put national interest above partisan politics.
“My concern is not about who becomes President. My concern is that Nigeria works. Our politics must move beyond the quest for power and focus instead on building a united nation founded on justice, strong institutions, the rule of law, and equal opportunity.
“That is the Nigeria we owe ourselves and the one we must leave for future generations. I therefore urge all well-meaning Nigerians to rise above partisan interests and defend our democracy. The survival of our institutions is inseparable from the survival of our nation. It’s when we work together that a new Nigeria of our dream is made possible.”
