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Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju has condemned efforts to deregister the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), warning that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)’s President Bola Tinubu would battle legitimacy issues should he win re-election in 2027 without credible challengers.
Adeyanju stated this in a statement issued on Saturday.
This came a day after a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the NDC.
In Friday’s ruling, Justice Isah Dashen set aside the court’s December 10, 2025 judgement compelling INEC to register the NDC as a political party.
The court held that the earlier judgement adversely affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party, which claimed ownership of the logo relied upon in obtaining the registration order but was not joined as a party in the suit contesting the NDC’s registration.
In a Friday statement faulting the court judgement, the NDC alleged it was part of a broader attempt to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 polls.
Adeyanju aligned with that position, while also recalling a similar court judgement earlier this month ordering the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He said, “The ongoing and unrelenting efforts to deregister the two major opposition political parties expected to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election is condemnable and a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
“No President should seek to govern in an atmosphere where viable political opposition is weakened or eliminated.
“President Tinubu does not need to go into the next election without credible challengers to secure a legitimate victory.
“If his administration has earned the confidence of Nigerians, it should be prepared to face every qualified political party at the ballot box.
“Legitimacy is strengthened by competition, not by the absence of it.”
Adeyanju argued that those behind any actions designed to “weaken or cripple the opposition, whether directly or indirectly, should remember that they do not merely damage political parties but risk damaging Nigeria’s international reputation.”
According to him, a nation that is perceived as shrinking its democratic space sends the wrong signal to investors and the global community.
“Nigeria’s democracy must never be reduced to a system where the outcome of elections appears predetermined by the weakening of political alternatives.
“Every lawful political party has a right to exist, to campaign and to test its popularity before the Nigerian people.
“It is the electorate who should decide who governs our country and nobody else,” the lawyer and activist added.
