The national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has welcomed the decision of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal overturning an earlier judgement of the Federal High Court that deregistered the party.
In a ruling on Friday, the two-member majority of the Court of Appeal held that the Federal High Court, Lokoja Division, erred in its June 26, 2026, ruling by reviewing its own earlier judgement of December 10, 2025, which directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC.
The appellate judges also dismissed the adversarial claims over the NDC’s use of a logo said to belong to another political association, the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was the basis of Justice Isah Dashen’s ruling in December.
Reacting to the ruling in a statement on Friday, Mr Dickson hailed the judiciary for upholding the law, saying that the judgement encourages participation in multiparty democracy in Nigeria.
“We want to use this opportunity once again to commend the Nigerian judiciary, and in particular, Hon. Justice Danjuma and Hon. Justice Hassan, for upholding the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary and, by their decisions, expanding the sphere of multiparty democratic participation in Nigeria,” said the former Bayelsa State governor.
He added, “Happily, today, by the decision of the Court of Appeal, the Nigerian democratic space has been protected, and the NDC’s right to participate in all political activities as a registered political party has been upheld.”
Speaking further, Mr Dickson maintained that NDC, which has former Anambra State governor Peter Obi as its candidate for the 2027 presidential election, was founded to promote democracy in Nigeria.
He described the lower court June order as an assault on the party’s constitution rights.
“We have said repeatedly that the NDC was set up to expand the frontier of multiparty democracy in Nigeria. Justice Dashen’s judgement a few months ago was an unexpected assault on our constitutional right to participate and an attempt to narrow the democratic space,” the senator said.
Mr Dickson congratulated NDC candidates and party members on the victory, stating that the party remained strong ahead of the 2027 general elections and beyond.