Senator Seriake Dickson has described the Federal High Court ruling setting aside the judgment compelling INEC to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as legally flawed and says the party will challenge it on appeal.
The leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has rejected the Federal High Court judgment delivered in Lokoja, Kogi State, which set aside an earlier ruling directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the party, describing the order as illegal and vowing that it would be challenged through the courts.
Reacting to the judgment delivered by Justice Isah Dashen, Dickson said the order lacked legal merit and was intended to undermine the party’s foundation and credibility. He maintained that the NDC had assembled a team of lawyers to take immediate steps to overturn the decision and restore what he described as normalcy.
Dickson also urged members, supporters and candidates of the party to remain calm and continue their political activities, insisting that the ruling represented only the first legal challenge facing the party. He further alleged that the application leading to the judgment was filed by an association that was neither a registered political party nor among the associations that sought registration during the relevant exercise.
The NDC similarly maintained that the court’s decision did not amount to the party’s deregistration. According to the party, it remains registered by INEC and has already conducted membership registration, congresses, conventions, primary elections and participated in recent bye-elections while preparing for the 2027 general election.
The judgment has introduced a fresh legal phase in the dispute over the NDC’s registration, shifting attention from the party’s recognition by INEC to the appellate process it intends to pursue. The development comes as political parties continue preparations ahead of the 2027 general election.
Dickson said the party would pursue every available judicial remedy to overturn what he described as a judicial anomaly. He called on party faithful to remain peaceful while the legal process continues, expressing confidence that the order would ultimately be set aside. The NDC also confirmed that its legal team had been instructed to file an appeal against the ruling.
As of Friday, the NDC had begun the process of challenging the Lokoja Federal High Court ruling at the Court of Appeal, while maintaining that the judgment does not invalidate the party’s continued political activities pending further legal proceedings.