The leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Seriake Dickson, has rejected the Federal High Court order directing the deregistration of the party, describing the ruling as illegal and vowing to challenge it through legal means.
Reacting to the judgment delivered on Friday by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Dickson said the court order lacked legal merit and was designed to undermine the credibility and progress of the NDC.
According to him, the ruling is a threat to Nigeria’s multi-party democracy and an attempt to shrink the country’s democratic space.
“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.
“It is against multi-party democracy, anti-democratic in nature, and aimed at narrowing and stifling the democratic space. It will be resisted by all of us and by all lovers of democracy in Nigeria,” Dickson said.
He disclosed that the party had assembled a team of lawyers to take immediate steps to set aside the court order, urging members, supporters and candidates to remain calm and continue their political activities.
Dickson expressed confidence that the party would overcome the legal challenge, insisting that the ruling would not derail its preparations for future elections.
He also questioned the legal standing of the applicant, an association identified as the Peace Movement Party, arguing that it was neither a registered political party nor one of the associations that applied for registration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2025.
According to him, the association had no interest in the subject matter of the suit and was not a necessary party in the case.
Dickson further alleged that unnamed individuals threatened by the rapid growth of the NDC were behind the court action, claiming the party’s progress within five months had unsettled its opponents.
He maintained that the party would pursue all available judicial remedies to overturn what he described as a judicial error and reaffirmed the NDC’s commitment to deepening multi-party democracy in Nigeria.
