Seriake Dickson, senator representing Bayelsa west and national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has shared the response letter from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the party’s application for registration in 2017.
The development follows criticism against INEC by Umar Ardo,
one of the founding leaders of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), who accused
the commission of deviating from its procedures in the registration of the NDC.
ADA was one of the eight pre-qualified associations cleared
by INEC in October 2025 for party registration after uploading all required
information and documentation on the commission’s website.
However, on February 5, 2026, Joash Amupitan, INEC chairman,
said “only two” out of the eight “qualified for final assessment and
verification of due compliance with the constitution and the Electoral Act”.
Despite not being part of the pre-qualified associations,
the NDC was also registered by INEC.
Amupitan said the move followed a federal high court order
in Lokoja, Kogi state.
In an interview with DCL Hausa posted on YouTube on Monday,
Ardo criticised INEC’s decision, alleging that NDC never submitted a formal
application for registration and did not take part in the screening process of
171 associations conducted in 2025.
‘YOUR APPLICATION MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS’
Reacting to the controversy, Dickson posted INEC’s reply
letter addressed to the protem chairman of the NDC in March 2017, in which the
commission acknowledged receipt of the party’s application.
“The commission received your application as a political
party under the proposed name: Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC),” the letter
signed by Mrs Augusta Ogakwu, then secretary to the commission, reads.
“The commission has considered your application and found
that the proposed name complies with the requirements for registration as a
political party under Section 222 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”
“You may wish to proceed with other requirements in line
with the approved guidelines for registration of political parties obtainable
from the commission’s Election and Party Monitoring (EPM) Department or
download same from the commission’s website.”
In an accompanying statement, Dickson said the letter shows
that NDC initiated its registration process in 2017, which was approved by INEC
but later stalled.
“When party registration resumed last year, we revisited and
updated our earlier application. The other document shows a Google search we
conducted on February 2, 2017, while searching for the appropriate ‘V-sign’ as
the party’s logo,” he said.
He described the controversy surrounding the party’s
registration as distractions in the form of rumours, gossip, propaganda, and
blackmail, which, according to him, often trail ambitious political projects in
the country.
“These are all part of the terrain we are used to. I
therefore urge Nigerians to discountenance and ignore such propaganda about the
NDC or any of its leaders and remain focused on the bigger picture,” Dickson
said.
The former governor of Bayelsa also urged Nigerians to join
the party, register, participate, and contest elections, saying, “together, let
us reclaim and rebuild our country.”
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