The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) yesterday won a major legal reprieve after the Court of Appeal in Abuja set aside a Federal High Court, Lokoja, judgment that had ordered the party’s deregistration.
The development has cleared the way for the NDC and its candidates to contest the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued yesterday, the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, said a three-man appellate panel led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma, with the judgment read by Justice Hassan, allowed the NDC’s appeal and nullified the earlier ruling by Justice Isah Dashen of the Lokoja Federal High Court.
Dickson described the appellate decision as a victory not only for the NDC but for Nigeria’s multiparty democracy, arguing that the Lokoja judgment had been an ‘unexpected assault’ on the party’s constitutional right to participate in politics.
‘We want to use this opportunity once again to commend the Nigerian judiciary for upholding the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary and, by their decisions, expanding the sphere of multiparty democratic participation in Nigeria,’ he said in an X post.
The former Bayelsa governor stressed that the NDC’s registration ‘remains valid and subsisting’ and that all party candidates would take part in ‘all elections in 2027 and beyond.’
Dickson recalled how the party was ‘bombarded with several calls for sympathy, support and prayers’ after the Lokoja ruling, adding: ‘Today, our collective prayers have been answered.’
With the legal cloud lifted, he urged members and supporters to shift focus immediately to electioneering: ‘Everyone should now focus on the campaigns, prepare for the elections, and focus on the task ahead to face the APC and defeat them at the polls.’
He also issued a veiled warning against attempts to influence the courts, insisting that ‘a resort to arm-twisting, inducing or intimidating the judiciary will not work,’ and expressing confidence in the NDC’s message, candidates and grassroots support.
The judgment comes at a delicate time for the NDC, which has been involved in multiple court cases over internal primaries, candidate nominations and its party logo as it positions itself for 2027.
Recent reports show Federal High Courts in Lagos and Abuja adjourning suits challenging the NDC’s governorship primaries in various states, even as the party’s leadership pushes to consolidate its structures ahead of the general elections.
Separately, Dickson has been urging a de-escalation of political tensions nationwide, calling on President Bola Tinubu to help create a secure, violence-free environment for all parties to campaign freely.