The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has appealed the Federal High Court ruling that voided its registration, while confirming that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has granted the party access to its candidate nomination portal.
The party’s National Leader, Seriake Dickson, disclosed the development in a post on his X account, revealing that both his name and that of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have already been uploaded to the INEC portal.
The appeal follows a recent judgment by the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, which set aside its earlier ruling that directed INEC to register the NDC as a political party.
The court held that the initial judgment was delivered without hearing all interested parties, making the proceedings constitutionally defective. It subsequently ordered that the case be heard afresh with the Peace Movement Party (PMP), INEC and the NDC joined in the suit.
Reacting to the ruling, Dickson said the party had filed both an appeal and an application for a stay of execution, adding that the necessary legal documents had been served on INEC.
“Today, the NDC has filed an appeal against the ruling as well as a stay of execution. We have also been granted access to the portal to upload our qualified candidates,” Dickson said.
He disclosed that while his name and that of Peter Obi had already been uploaded, the party would complete the upload of its vice-presidential candidate and other contestants within INEC’s stipulated timeline.
Dickson assured party members that there was no cause for alarm, noting that the NDC still had enough time to submit the names of its candidates before the electoral commission’s deadlines.
He also acknowledged concerns over the party’s primaries, admitting the process was not without challenges but said reconciliation efforts had already begun to unite aggrieved members.
“The reconciliation processes have started and we expect them to reach everyone… We assure them that all those who expressed interest will be carried along in the party’s campaigns, committees and structures,” he added.
Dickson further urged the judiciary, INEC and security agencies to remain impartial in protecting Nigeria’s democracy, expressing confidence that the courts would ultimately deliver justice.
