As reactions continue to trail the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, ordering the deregistration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party, the African Action Congress (AAC) has called on Nigerians to rise and resist what it described as the country’s “descent into tyranny” and reclaim the democratic freedoms won through decades of sacrifice.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Rex I. Elanu, the AAC condemned the court order, alleging that it formed part of a broader campaign by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to weaken opposition parties and pave the way for one-party rule.
“The African Action Congress (AAC) condemns the latest court order purporting to deregister the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC),” the party said.
According to the AAC, “This development is yet another dangerous chapter in the ongoing campaign by the Bola Ahmed Tinubu regime to dismantle political opposition and impose a one-party dictatorship on Nigeria.”
The opposition party alleged that there had been a coordinated pattern of repression against opposition parties, political candidates, activists and critics of the government.
“Over the past months, the Nigerian people have witnessed a coordinated pattern of repression targeted at opposition political parties, candidates, activists, and voices of dissent,” the statement read.
It further claimed that, “The weaponisation of state institutions, particularly the judiciary, against perceived political opponents has become a defining feature of this administration.”
The AAC also referred to its presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, alleging that his continued detention was politically motivated.
“Our presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, remains imprisoned in Kuje Prison simply because he represents a genuine political challenge to the Tinubu regime,” the party claimed.
The statement also recalled previous legal battles involving opposition parties, alleging that, “Five opposition political parties were subjected to unjust judicial attacks through the actions of Justice Peter Lifu, until the Court of Appeal intervened to halt that assault on democracy.”
According to the AAC, the latest judgement against the NDC followed what it described as the same pattern.
“These actions have nothing to do with justice or the rule of law. They are calculated attempts to eliminate political competition, silence alternative voices, and intimidate Nigerians into accepting authoritarian rule,” the party alleged.
The party warned that weakening opposition parties threatened the country’s democratic system.
“A democracy without viable opposition is no democracy at all,” the statement said. “When courts become instruments of political persecution and state power is deployed to weaken opposition parties rather than address insecurity, poverty, unemployment, and corruption, the country moves dangerously close to dictatorship.”
Declaring solidarity with the affected party, the AAC stated, “The AAC stands in solidarity with the NDC and every political organization facing politically motivated persecution. An attack on one party is an attack on democracy itself.”
The party called on civil society groups, labour unions, students and members of the international community to oppose what it described as shrinking democratic space in Nigeria.
“We call on all Nigerians, civil society organizations, pro-democracy groups, labour unions, students, and the international democratic community to reject this systematic destruction of Nigeria’s democratic space.
“History has shown that no authoritarian government willingly surrenders power. The Nigerian people must organize peacefully but resolutely to resist this descent into tyranny and reclaim the democratic freedoms won through decades of sacrifice.
“Nigeria belongs to its people, not to one man, one political party, or one regime,” the statement added.
The AAC’s reaction comes a day after Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, set aside the court’s earlier judgement that had compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party.
SaharaReporters previously reported that the latest ruling followed an application filed by an association known as the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which argued that it had sought registration using the same “victory sign” symbol as far back as 2015.
Following the judgement, the NDC rejected the decision, insisting that the Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to revisit and overturn its own final judgment.
The party maintained that the issues surrounding its registration had already been conclusively determined and vowed to challenge the ruling through the appropriate legal channels.
The AAC’s statement follows similar condemnations by other opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which described the court order as a setback for democracy and warned that it could further constrict Nigeria’s democratic space ahead of the 2027 general elections.
