The leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Seriake Dickson, has described the order of the Federal High Court directing the deregistration of the party as illegal and vowed to challenge it through legal means.
Speaking on the judgment delivered on Friday by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Dickson said the court order had no legal merit and was meant to undermine the credibility and progress of the NDC.
The ruling is a threat to the multi-party democracy of Nigeria and an attempt to shrink the democratic space of the country, he said.
“All I can say is that the order has no legal merit and is intended to impact on the foundational credibility and efforts of our party. It is illegal and will not be implemented.
“It is anti-democratic in nature, against multi-party democracy and intended to narrow and stifle the democratic space. “It will be resisted by all of us and all lovers of democracy in Nigeria,” Dickson said.
The party had hired a team of lawyers to take immediate steps to overturn the court order, he said, and urged members, supporters and candidates to remain calm and continue their political activities.
Dickson was confident that the party would overcome the legal challenge and insisted that the ruling would not derail its preparations for future elections.
He also challenged the legal status of the applicant, an association called the Peace Movement Party, on the ground that it was not a registered political party or an association that sought registration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2025.
He thought that the association was not interested in the subject matter of the suit and was not a necessary party.
Dickson also said that the court action was sponsored by some unnamed persons who were being threatened by the rapid growth of the NDC. “The progress the NDC has made within five months has unsettled its opponents,” he said.
He said the party would explore all judicial options to reverse what he described as a judicial error and reiterated the NDC’s resolve to deepen multi-party democracy in Nigeria.
