The former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday condemned what he described as a coordinated effort to frustrate the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
In a statement released by the Atiku Media Office, he alleged that the campaign reflects President Bola Tinubu‘s determination to convert Nigeria into a de facto one-party state ahead of the 2027 elections.
The trigger for Atiku’s reaction was a ruling by the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State.
Presiding judge Justice Isah Dashen set aside the court's earlier judgment of December 10, 2025, which had directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party.
Justice Dashen’s reversal came after an application by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which alleged ownership of the logo the NDC used to secure its registration.
The judge ruled that the PMP should have been joined as a party to the original suit because its interests were directly affected.
The NDC, which has Peter Obi as its presidential candidate for 2027, rejected the ruling and announced plans to appeal. For Atiku, however, the legal development was about far more than a logo dispute.
Atiku Says Tinubu’s Body Language Betrays His Democratic Claims
Atiku was measured but pointed in laying out his position, framing the NDC court reversal as part of a larger pattern.
“Nigerians are now seeing the true colours of President Tinubu, who pretends to be a democrat, but his body language and the sinister activities of his agents contradict his mouthed commitment to free and fair elections.”
He drew a direct contrast with past administrations, notably citing the late President Muhammadu Buhari — himself a former military ruler — as someone who, despite his background, never moved to deregister opposition parties.
He also invoked former President Goodluck Jonathan, who he said understood that political ambition should never come at the cost of citizens’ blood.
“If you’re truly popular and your policies have positively bettered the lives of the citizens, you shouldn’t be afraid of a free and fair competition,” Atiku told Tinubu directly.
He went further, drawing on Tinubu’s own history as a pro-democracy activist during Nigeria’s military era.
“Tinubu cannot be a champion of democracy under military dictatorship and now become the worst enemy of everything that democracy stands for.”
Atiku also warned that suppressing political participation was not without consequences, saying any attempt to deny Nigerians freedom of choice at the ballot could trigger “chaos and anarchy.”
Atiku Turns to the Judiciary With a Warning of Its Own
Beyond his attack on the presidency, Atiku directed a separate and equally pointed message at Nigeria’s courts — warning judges not to allow themselves to become instruments of political manipulation.
“Governments will come and go. Hence, the judiciary must guard her integrity as the last hope of the masses. Don’t allow unscrupulous politicians to stain your reputation for their own short-term gain at the expense of justice.”
He acknowledged that many Nigerian judges are distinguished and principled but insisted that the conduct of a few was putting the entire institution at risk.
“There are great judges in Nigeria, but the unchecked excesses of some who allow themselves to become judicial swords on the hands of politicians are capable of damaging the larger image of the judiciary,” he said.
The Lokoja ruling has already sent the NDC to court to seek a stay of execution, while the NDC’s National Chairman, Senator Cleopas Zuwoghe, has vowed to pursue the matter through the Court of Appeal.
With the 2027 general elections drawing closer and candidate upload deadlines already running, the legal confusion over the NDC’s status adds uncertainty to an already fractious political season.
