NDC Won’t Stand: Seriake Dickson Responds and Identifies Those Behind the Court Judgment

Seriake Dickson, the leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has dismissed the Federal High Court order that directs the deregistration of the party. He described the ruling as illegal and announced plans to contest it through the legal system.

After Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja delivered the judgment on Friday, Dickson said the court order had no legal basis and was intended to damage the NDC’s credibility and progress.

He warned that the ruling threatens Nigeria’s multi‑party democracy and seeks to narrow 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,” Dickson stated. “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 revealed that the NDC has assembled a team of lawyers to immediately seek the annulment of the court order. He urged party members, supporters, and candidates to remain calm and continue their political activities.

He expressed confidence that the party would overcome the legal challenge and insisted that the ruling would not derail its preparations for future elections.

He also questioned the legal standing of the applicant, the Peace Movement Party, arguing that it is 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 Dickson, 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. He claimed that the party’s progress within five months had unsettled its opponents.

He maintained that the NDC would pursue all available judicial remedies to overturn what he described as a judicial error and reaffirmed the party’s commitment to deepening multi‑party democracy in Nigeria.