Nigeria’s political landscape is heating up months before the 2027 elections, as a bitter dispute over party registration between the All Democratic Alliance, ADA, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, threatens to spill into the streets and test the independence of the judiciary.
At the center of it is a question that has haunted Nigeria’s democracy since 1999: who decides which party gets to play — INEC, the courts, or the ruling establishment?
The registration controversy*
In February 2026, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, announced that only two of 171 political associations that applied for registration had met the requirements: the Democratic Leadership Alliance, DLA, and the NDC. The NDC’s entry, however, came through a Federal High Court order in Lokoja, not through INEC’s standard screening process.
That decision has sparked outrage from ADA, one of the eight associations pre-qualified by INEC in October 2025 after submitting documentation. ADA founding leader Dr. Umar Ardo says the NDC “did not apply or participate in the registration process” and failed to submit key documents like its constitution, manifesto, or executive list. Yet, it received a certificate of registration.
“We are filing an appeal,” Ardo said, describing the ruling as “politically influenced”. He also pointed to the speed of the NDC case, which was resolved within weeks, while ADA’s own application remains pending.
INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan insists the commission only complied with a “subsisting court order” in suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025. NDC National Secretary Ikenna Enekweizu has dismissed ADA’s claims as “mischievous and misleading”, while NDC National Leader Senator Seriake Dickson says the party’s documentation dates back to 2017 and was simply updated when registration resumed.
The protest and judicial fears
The controversy has triggered protests from civil society groups and ADA supporters, who accuse the judiciary of compromising neutrality. ADA leaders argue that the court’s intervention bypassed INEC’s regulatory authority and created a dangerous precedent for political manipulation.
Legal analysts note that under electoral procedure, only INEC can ordinarily appeal such a registration by filing for an extension of time at the Court of Appeal, a window that reportedly closed in December 2025. ADA says it is seeking Certified True Copies of the Lokoja court processes to establish what transpired.
The situation has been compounded by another legal red flag: civil society coalition Nigeria Democratic Rights Advocacy has flagged that Barr. Reuben Egwuaba is listed as National Legal Adviser for both the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, and the NDC, with one entry marked “by court order”. Under Section 77 of the amended Electoral Act, dual party membership is a criminal offence carrying up to two years imprisonment. INEC says Egwuaba has resigned from APM.
Peter Obi’s uncertain fate
The registration fight has taken on new urgency with the defection of former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and ex-Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso to the NDC on May 3, 2026. The pair had joined the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in January 2026 as part of a broad opposition coalition led by former Senate President David Mark.
But Obi quit the ADC barely four months later, citing “toxic” internal crises, legal disputes, and what he described as external interference. “The same Nigerian state and its agents that created unnecessary crises and hostility within the Labour Party that forced me to leave now appear to be finding their way into the ADC,” he said.
Obi’s exit has fueled speculation that opposition platforms are being deliberately destabilized. House of Representatives member Victor Ogene alleges that the chaos in ADC is “targeted at only one person, Mr. Peter Obi”. The Presidency has mocked Obi as a “political nomad”, while APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka accused him of “searching for a free, uncontested presidential ticket”.
If ADA succeeds in nullifying NDC’s registration, Obi’s new political home could collapse before it even takes off, leaving him without a platform less than a year to the polls.
What is the ruling party up to?*
The All Progressives Congress, APC, insists it is not behind the opposition’s troubles. “If anything is destroying the opposition parties, it’s our performance because we are performing better than they ever expected,” Nasarawa Governor Abdullahi Sule said on Channels TV.
But opposition leaders tell a different story. PDP Board of Trustees Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara alleged “severe internal sabotage allegedly perpetrated by some individuals working for the APC with the aim of crippling our party ahead of the 2027 general elections”. Similar claims have been made by Labour Party insiders who say “prominent figures” are using proxies to weaken the party.
The APC has also moved quickly to consolidate. It became the first party to unveil its 2027 election timetable, with a national convention slated for March 25–28, 2026. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has warned APC members against defecting, saying opposition parties are “waiting to recruit from aggrieved members”.
Meanwhile, the new Electoral Act 2026 has drawn fire from opposition leaders including Obi, Atiku Abubakar, and Amaechi, who call it “anti-democratic”. Critics point to Section 63, which allows ballot papers without INEC’s security features to be accepted if the presiding officer approves, a provision they say invites rigging.
A democracy under strain*
With 2027 barely a year away, the opposition space is fracturing. The PDP is in crisis after a Supreme Court ruling in April 2026 nullified its National Working Committee. The Labour Party remains weakened by leadership disputes. And now the ADA-NDC row threatens to further split the emerging opposition front. 1abc
For Peter Obi, the stakes are personal. After three party switches since 2023 — APGA, PDP, LP, ADC, now NDC — critics say he lacks the staying power to build a party. Supporters counter that he is being targeted precisely because he represents a genuine threat to the status quo. 1fa1033e
What is clear is that the battle over NDC’s registration is about more than paperwork. It is about whether new parties can emerge without political interference, whether courts can act as impartial arbiters, and whether Nigeria’s democracy can accommodate a credible opposition ahead of 2027.
As Ardo puts it: “We followed due process and were denied, while another group that did not comply was registered”. The courts will now decide if that claim holds water and whether the playing field for 2027 is level or already tilted.
What next? ADA’s appeal could drag the matter into the Court of Appeal, while NDC continues to court high-profile defectors like Obi and Kwankwaso. For voters, the real test will be whether these legal battles produce claritity or just more confusion before the ballot.