Banner Online News

From Our Correspondent

Abuja – June 17, 2026

The countdown to Nigeria’s 2027 general election descended into constitutional crisis today as former PDP National Chairman Prince Uche Secondus accused the ruling government of orchestrating a judicial coup to replace the ballot box with a coronation.

His blistering attack came hours after Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court delivered a ruling that deregistered several opposition parties—including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), sparking outrage across the political spectrum. The decision, handed down just weeks after the affected parties completed their primaries and submitted candidate lists to INEC, has left thousands of aspirants and their supporters in legal limbo.

“This is not justice; this is judicial rascality dressed in a robe,” Secondus declared in a statement released from his Abuja office. “You do not dissolve political parties after they have held primaries, after they have candidates, and after INEC has acknowledged their participation. You do this to kill competition—plain and simple.”

Secondus, who led the PDP through previous electoral battles, did not mince words about the government’s motives. “They are terrified of a free and fair election. They do not want an election—they want a coronation. A one-party state is their dream, and they are using the judiciary to build it while we sleep.”

The ruling, which effectively erases the ADC and other smaller parties from the 2027 ballot, has drawn sharp condemnation from civil society groups, who warn that the timing is deliberately destabilizing. With campaign seasons set to officially open in weeks, the deregistered parties now face the impossible task of appealing a decision while their structures collapse.

Secondus pointed to the Nigerian Constitution, arguing that the framers intended for INEC to review party registration after general elections, not in the heat of a new cycle. “To strike mid-stream is to disenfranchise millions who chose those platforms. It chills the competitive spirit. It tells young movements: do not bother, the system will crush you before you even speak. ”

Political analysts fear the precedent could trigger a domino effect, with remaining opposition parties, including the PDP itself, bracing for similar legal challenges. Already, sources within the ruling party have privately celebrated the ruling, though official spokespeople have remained silent, citing judicial independence.

But Secondus rejected that defence outright. “Judicial independence is a shield, not a sword. When the sword is wielded to slit the throat of democracy, we must call it what it is: an assault on the rule of law.”

As evening fell over Abuja, lawyers for the affected parties filed urgent stay-of-execution motions, while INEC officials huddled in emergency meetings. Meanwhile, on the streets of Lagos and Port Harcourt, ordinary voters expressed bewilderment and fear.

“They are stealing our choices before we even make them,” said one ADC supporter who had just paid for a nomination form. “If this stands, what is the point of voting at all?”

Prince Secondus ended his statement with a warning that echoed across the nation’s fractured political landscape: “A democracy that crushes its opposition is a democracy in name only. Nigeria is at a crossroads—and we are being pushed down the wrong road by those who fear the people’s voice.”

With 2026 only half over, the battle for 2027 has already begun, not on the campaign trail, but in the courtroom. And if Secondus is right, the real fight is not about parties at all.

It is about whether Nigeria will still have an election to run.