Dr. Umar Ardo, a prominent political theorist and promoter of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), has announced plans to initiate a legal challenge against the registration of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
In a wide-ranging interview, Ardo also asserted that former President Goodluck Jonathan is legally barred from seeking the presidency in 2027, citing constitutional amendments and Supreme Court precedents regarding term limits.
### **The Legal Battle Against NDC**
Ardo described the emergence of the NDC—a party recently joined by heavyweights such as Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso—as “constitutionally inaccurate” and a product of “judicial murder.”
He alleged that the party bypassed all mandatory regulatory requirements set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). According to Ardo, the NDC failed to pay the N2 million administrative fee, did not fill out the mandatory Form EC15A, and never uploaded required documents to the INEC portal.
“The NDC was born illegitimately,” Ardo stated. “It is like a birth certificate issued for a child never born. The court was thoroughly misled to have made a pronouncement without any due regard to these documents. If the registration process is subverted for one party today, it will be subverted for all parties tomorrow.”
He further criticized INEC for its “inexplicable capitulation,” questioning why the commission failed to appeal the Lokoja Federal High Court judgment that granted the party recognition.
Jonathan’s 2027 Ambition “Dead on Arrival
Addressing rumors of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s potential return to the ballot in 2027, Ardo insisted the move would be a constitutional impossibility.
He cited Section 137(3) of the Constitution, an amendment signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari, which stipulates that a person who was sworn in as President to complete the term of another person cannot be elected to that office for more than one additional term.
“If Jonathan contests and wins, he will be in the office of the president for over eight years, which contradicts the Supreme Court judgment on cumulative tenure,” Ardo explained. “The provision is clear without any equivocation. He cannot run for office anymore.”
### **Critique of Obi and Kwankwaso**
Ardo did not spare opposition leaders Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, accusing them of engaging in “moral money laundering” by lending their reputations to the NDC.
“These politicians are using their ‘reputational capital’ to camouflage an entity that could not survive naked exposure,” Ardo argued. “By joining the NDC, they become human shields for institutional illegitimacy. They are depositing their public trust into an account whose assets were obtained through procedural theft.”
### **On ADA and the Future of Democracy**
When asked if his actions were motivated by the failure of his own platform, the ADA, to gain registration, Ardo maintained his stance was based on principle rather than bitterness. He argued that while the ADA complied with every constitutional requirement and was denied, the NDC complied with none and was registered.
“My challenge is to defend the architecture of democratic legitimacy itself,” he said.
Ardo concluded by calling on Nigerians to exercise “radical discernment” ahead of the next election cycle, warning that the country’s democracy is at risk if constitutional compliance is treated as optional.
“We must look at the root, not the branches. If a candidate emerges from a process that insults constitutional order, I cannot in good conscience support them. Some vehicles are too compromised to carry any passenger with self-respect intact,” Ardo said.
