The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has defended the legitimacy of his party’s registration, insisting the process was properly initiated and approved by INEC in 2017.
Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, reacted on Monday to allegations by Dr Umar Ardo, who claimed the NDC was illegally registered without following due process.
In a statement, Dickson said the party began its registration formalities as far back as 2017 and received INEC approval before the exercise was halted.
“For the record, the annexures show that we initiated the registration process for the NDC as far back as 2017 and that INEC granted approval at that time before the process was halted,” Dickson stated.
He added that when INEC resumed party registration last year, the NDC simply revisited and updated its earlier application in line with regulatory requirements.
Dickson shared supporting documents on his X account, including evidence of a Google search conducted on February 3, 2017, while the party was selecting its “V-sign” logo.
He dismissed Ardo’s claims as politically motivated distractions.
“With my experience in politics, I am fully aware that an ambitious project of this nature will attract distractions — rumours, gossip, propaganda, and even blackmail. These are all parts of the terrain that we are used to,” he said.
Dickson urged Nigerians to ignore such allegations and focus on the bigger picture of building a credible opposition platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The NDC has attracted significant attention since former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso formally joined the party on Sunday.
The development comes amid growing realignment in Nigeria’s opposition politics as various groups position themselves to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next general polls.
