Posted by Chinenye on Tue 30th Jun, 2026 - tori.ng
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has entered a new phase of political and legal uncertainty as its leadership insists the party remains validly registered and active despite an ongoing court dispute over its status
(Senator Seriake Dickson. Photo by African Report)
Senator Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), says his name and that of Peter Obi, the party's Presidential Candidate, have been uploaded on the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He said this while giving an update on the legal dispute over the status of the opposition party.
It was reported that a Federal High Court in Lokoja had, on Friday, set aside its earlier judgment recognising NDC as a political party. INEC registered NDC as a party on February 5, 2026, relying on the court judgment of December 10, 2025, for the registration.
However, some of the parties which applied for registration like NDC but did not get it went to court, and the judge set aside the previous order, directing all parties to return to the position they occupied before the December judgment.
Following the judgment, the legal status of the NDC became a subject of controversy.
Giving an update in a statement issued on Tuesday, Dickson said the NDC had filed an appeal against the ruling, along with a stay of execution/injunction, which had been served with a covering letter to the INEC chairman and his team urging them to act in accordance with the law and what is legally sensible.
He maintained that the NDC remains a duly registered party in Nigeria that has participated in all political processes so far, noting that nomination processes had already been concluded and that, in the eyes of the law, candidates had already emerged from the party for all offices across the country in primaries observed, monitored and recorded by INEC.
He explained that what remained was the administrative process of submitting the names to INEC, and that the party had been granted access to the portal to upload its qualified candidates.
He disclosed that his name and that of the Presidential Candidate had already been uploaded to the INEC portal, while that of the Vice Presidential Candidate would be uploaded the following day upon completion of the deposition, with the process also ongoing for other candidates.
He further stated that, in accordance with the INEC timetable, which the party had religiously abided by, they had between then and the 11th of the following month to upload all National Assembly candidates, while those of governors and State Houses of Assembly would end on the 17th of July, stressing that there was enough time for all candidates' names to be submitted and no reason for anyone to panic.
As National Leader, Dickson also thanked all aspirants and those who had indicated interest for various offices, acknowledging that only one person could emerge victorious in primaries no matter how well conducted, and admitting that the processes were not perfect, though efforts had been made to resolve differences within a short period for a new party managing a high volume of aspirants through a direct primary process handled by stakeholders in every state and by party leaders.
He said reconciliation processes had begun and were expected to reach everyone, assuring that all those who had expressed interest would be carried along in the party's campaigns, committees and structures, as they constitute the grassroots strength and backbone of the party.
He expressed appreciation to INEC for what he described as its professionalism in handling the matter and called on the judiciary to determine the party's appeal in accordance with the law.