Seriake Dickson shares INEC’s reply to NDC application, says party registration was initiated in 2017

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”.

Advertisement

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.” [TheCable]