“We are under attack, but we’ll win – NDC National Chairman reacts to Court Ruling Voiding its Registration
Seriake Dickson, national head of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), believes the party is under attack from foreign forces dissatisfied with its rapid rise, but it will overcome the challenge.
Dickson is reacting to a decision by the federal high court in Lokoja, Kogi state, that overturned an earlier order mandating the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party.
The court annulled its December 10, 2025, decision ordering INEC to register the NDC as a political party.
The presiding judge, Isah Dashen, gave the ruling in the suit marked FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025, holding that the previous judgment was delivered without hearing all essential parties, rendering the proceedings constitutionally invalid.
According to NAN, the ruling followed an application by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which claimed that it had a legal stake in the case and should have been included in the litigation before the verdict was issued.
The judge also determined that important facts were not disclosed during previous sessions and ordered that the substantive suit be restarted with INEC, the PMP, and the NDC as parties.
‘THE ORDER WILL STAND’
Dickson condemned the court judgment as without legal basis and intended to stymie the party’s advancement.
“All I can say is that the order lacks legal merit and is intended to undermine our party’s foundational credibility and efforts.” “The order is illegal and will not stand,” he stated.
According to him, the verdict was “against multi-party democracy, anti-democratic in nature, and aimed at narrowing and stifling democratic space.”
The NDC national chairman announced that the party has gathered a team of attorneys to contest the verdict and asked members and supporters to remain calm.
The former Bayelsa governor claimed that the application that resulted in the verdict was filed by “an unregistered association” with no legal interest in the matter.
“We are not naive to expect that the tremendous progress we have achieved in the last five months would go without attack,” he stated.
“So, we understand where this is coming from. It is coming from people who are taken aback by the NDC’s rapid progress, the result of our hard work and dedication to expanding multi-party democracy.
“We won’t let anything slow us down or break our spirit. “The struggle must continue.”
He also accused the judge who issued the verdict of making a legal error, stating that the party would seek all available court remedies.
“We will seek relevant judicial procedures to address the judicial aberration that happened under the tenure of Honourable Justice Dashen. “He has clearly erred in law, and we will take steps to correct it,” he stated.
Dickson also attempted to comfort supporters, maintaining that the party was on track despite the loss.
“We are under attack, and as I have constantly stated, we must prepare for crises like this. But afterwards, we’ll win,” he said.
He further claimed that the ruling had strengthened support for the party, with “thousands of Nigerians” registering as NDC members in solidarity as a result of the court decision.
“I sincerely thank Nigerians for their continued trust in the NDC. Dickson stated that “your support, encouragement, and belief in our vision only strengthen our resolve to continue the struggle to deepen Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.”
