by Mohammed Bello Doka
15 June, 2026
There is a storm brewing across Nigeria, but the people have seen this tempest before. The recent judgment by the Federal High Court seeking to deregister the African Democratic Congress is not the end of our struggle. It is, instead, a desperate gasp from a political establishment that has run out of ideas and is terrified of the Nigerian people. Let this message ring from Lagos to Maiduguri: ADC will be on the ballot in 2027. The Federal High Court is not the final court of arbitration in Nigeria. We have the appeal court and the Supreme Court, but more importantly, we have the ultimate sovereign—the electorate.
It is no secret that the All Progressives Congress is jittery. Why else would they deploy the machinery of the judiciary to silence a political party before a single vote has been cast? The APC is afraid. They do not want to face the people in a free and fair election because they know the people have seen through their deception. Hunger, insecurity, and despair are now the trademarks of their rule. Rather than fix the nation, they plot to eliminate opposition from the ballot. This cowardice confirms what we already knew: the APC cannot win on merit, so they seek to win by elimination.
But Nigeria is bigger than the APC and its power-hungry gluttons. This nation has survived military dictatorships, economic collapse, and civil war. If Nigeria could survive the iron fist of Sani Abacha, then Nigeria will certainly survive the inept and fearful clutches of the APC. Abacha came with tanks and intimidation, yet the people outlasted him. Today, we face a different kind of tyranny—one that uses court orders to strangle democracy. But make no mistake, the result will be the same. The people will win.
History teaches us that the power of the people always triumphs over the power of the state when the people refuse to bow. Look at the Philippines in 1986, when ordinary citizens flooded the streets of EDSA and overthrew a dictator. Look at Poland’s Solidarity movement, where shipyard workers brought down a communist regime. Look at South Africa, where the unbreakable will of the majority ended apartheid. Closer to home, we saw Senegal’s 2024 election, where the people rejected an incumbent’s attempt to delay the vote. In every system, the moment the people unite, incumbents fall. The APC knows this history, and that is exactly why they panic.
Why is the APC so desperate to remove ADC from the ballot? Because they want a breakdown of law and order. It sounds counterintuitive, but think carefully. If opposition parties are eliminated, if the courts are seen as illegitimate, and if the people lose faith in the electoral process, chaos follows. And chaos is the perfect excuse. The APC wants disorder so they can cry to the international community: “Nigeria is too unstable for an election.” Their plan is to use manufactured crisis to suspend the 2027 election altogether. They want to cling to power not through votes, but through a state of emergency.
We must not fall for that antics. The Nigerian people are wiser than the APC imagines. We know that every attempt to remove a party from the ballot is a step toward dictatorship. We know that every court case filed against a candidate is an insult to our right to choose. And we will not surrender our future because a handful of judges and politicians made a backroom deal.
So here is the final word: The people will always win. No court ruling can silence millions of voices. No deregistration notice can erase a movement that lives in the hearts of the masses. APC must go in 2027. That is not a slogan. It is a covenant. There will be no retreat. There will be no surrender. Keep your eyes on the ballot. Keep your faith in your neighbour. Keep your hand on the lever of change. ADC will be on the ballot, and on that day, the people will deliver the final judgment. Not the courts. Not INEC. The people. And the people will be victorious.
Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via [email protected]
Abuja Network News
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Opinion