The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has rejected the Federal High Court judgment ordering its deregistration, describing the ruling as unlawful and vowing to challenge it through the courts.
The party’s leader, Seriake Dickson, made the declaration while reacting to the judgment delivered on Friday by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja.
Dickson argued that the ruling lacked legal merit and was aimed at undermining the credibility and progress the party had made since its formation.
“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,” he said.
He described the judgment as a threat to Nigeria’s multi-party democracy, alleging that it was designed to shrink the country’s democratic space.
“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 added.
The former Bayelsa State governor disclosed that the party had assembled a team of lawyers to immediately challenge the court order. He urged members, supporters and candidates to remain calm and continue with their political activities while the legal process unfolds.
Expressing confidence in the party’s chances of success, Dickson maintained that the judgment would not derail the NDC’s preparations for future elections.
He also questioned the legal standing of the plaintiff, the Peace Movement Party, arguing that it was neither a registered political party nor among the associations that applied for registration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2025.
According to him, the association lacked the legal interest required to institute the suit and should not have been a party to the case.
Dickson further alleged that individuals unsettled by the NDC’s rapid growth were behind the legal action, claiming the party’s progress within five months had alarmed its political opponents.
He reaffirmed the party’s commitment to defending Nigeria’s multi-party democracy, insisting it would exhaust all available legal avenues to overturn what it described as an erroneous judgment.