ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has assured all the party’s candidates that their nominations for the 2027 general elections remain valid despite the recent Federal High Court judgment setting aside an earlier order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the party.
Dickson, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, urged party members and supporters not to panic, insisting that the NDC had not been deregistered and was already taking the necessary legal steps to challenge the court’s decision.
He also thanked Nigerians for the overwhelming support the party has received since the ruling, saying the judgment had unexpectedly increased public interest in the NDC.
“I want to thank all Nigerians for their support, solidarity, and prayers. As a matter of fact, since Friday, thousands of Nigerians have been flocking to our website to register. They now know more about our party, they sympathise with our party and our candidates, and they are flocking and buying into our vision of our party and our candidates. So, I thank them for their support and prayers,” Dickson said.
The former Bayelsa State governor maintained that all candidates produced by the party through its primary elections remain legitimate because the nomination process was conducted in accordance with the Electoral Act and within the timetable approved by INEC.
“To be clear, the NDC has not been deregistered. The NDC has validly nominated candidates for all elective offices in primaries monitored nationwide by INEC. From the House of Assembly, the House of Representatives, the Senate, the governorship, and our presidential candidate, who has also nominated a running mate. I am also a senatorial candidate of the party.
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“All nominations have been validly carried out and monitored by INEC in accordance with the timeframe given by INEC. So, I assure all our candidates and members that those nominations remain valid and by the laws of this country, nominations are done at the primaries that take place at various levels; the submission to INEC is an administrative procedure. So, the NDC is still a party. The court itself did not deregister it, and no step has been taken to that effect,” he added.
Dickson’s remarks followed the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, which set aside its earlier December 10, 2025 ruling that compelled INEC to register the NDC as a political party.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Isah Dashen held that the earlier decision adversely affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was not joined as a party in the original suit despite claiming ownership of the logo relied upon in securing the registration order.
Speaking after the ruling, counsel to the applicant, C. S. Ekeocha, explained that the Peace Movement Party approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had previously submitted to INEC before the commencement of the suit.
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According to the lawyer, the court agreed that the applicant’s rights had been affected by the earlier proceedings and consequently vacated the December 2025 judgment that compelled INEC to register the NDC.
Despite the setback, Dickson maintained that the legal challenge would not prevent the party from participating in the 2027 general elections, expressing confidence that the judicial process would ultimately resolve the dispute in the NDC’s favour.