Court Ruling Against NDC Registration Is Wrong - Dickson

The Nigeria Democratic Congress has said it will fight a recent court ruling in Lokoja, Kogi State. This ruling set aside its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The party is confident that the decision will be reversed.

Senator Henry Dickson, the party's National Leader and former governor of Bayelsa State, shared this in a statement on his X handle on Friday. He reacted to the ruling from Justice Isah Dashen.

Dickson called the court order legally invalid. He said it aims to weaken the party’s foundation and harm democracy in Nigeria.

His statement said, “This morning, I, like several other leaders, officials, candidates of the NDC, and members of the public, was jolted by the order issued by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja and presided over by Honourable Justice Isah Dashen.

“All I can say is that the order lacks legal merit and is intended to affect the foundational credibility and efforts of our party. The order is illegal and will not stand.

“We have assembled our team of lawyers, and they are taking appropriate steps to set the order aside and restore normalcy.

“I call on all members, supporters, and candidates of the NDC to remain calm and continue with their normal political activities. This is only the first test of our commitment and resilience, both of which are not in doubt.”

The former governor said the court order goes against democracy and they will fight back legally.

He claimed that the application that led to the judgment came from an unregistered group. According to him, this group was not a registered political party and had no right to be part of the case.

Dickson noted that the group did not apply for registration in 2025 and was not among the 171 groups that requested registration from INEC. They were also not among the 21 groups shortlisted for registration.

He stated that the party would explore all legal options to reverse what he called “a judicial anomaly.”

“We will use appropriate judicial channels to correct the judicial anomaly that occurred under the watch of Honourable Justice Dashen. He has clearly erred in law, and we will take steps to correct it,” he said.

Dickson also claimed that the legal challenge was meant to slow down the party's development. But he insisted that it would not stop the NDC.

He mentioned that thousands of Nigerians joined the party on Friday in support after the court ruling.

The NDC was registered by INEC in December 2025. But the Federal High Court in Lokoja, led by Justice Isah Dashen, later set aside the party’s registration, leading to this legal battle.