The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Henry Seriake Dickson, has announced that the political platform has obtained access to the Independent National Electoral Commission portal to upload the profiles of its qualified candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections. Dickson made this known on Monday in a public statement released via his official handle on the X platform. He also disclosed that the leadership of the party has initiated legal action by filing an appeal alongside an application for a stay of execution against a recent court judgment that impacted its registration status.
According to the party leader, the relevant court processes and accompanying applications have already been served on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission as well as the commission itself, urging the electoral umpire to act in full accordance with the provisions of the law. He maintained that the political organization remains a validly registered entity which has actively participated in all democratic processes and successfully concluded its primary elections nationwide.
Dickson said, “The Nigeria Democratic Congress has come to stay and remains a duly registered party in Nigeria. Nomination processes have already been concluded and, in the eyes of the law, candidates have already emerged from the party for all offices across the country in primaries observed, monitored and recorded by INEC,”
The former Bayelsa State governor further explained that only the administrative protocol of transmitting the names of the successful candidates is currently outstanding, pointing out that the electoral umpire had already provided the necessary access code to the party. He revealed that his own name and that of the presidential candidate have successfully been uploaded onto the digital platform.
Dickson transference, “My name and that of the presidential candidate have been uploaded to the INEC portal, while that of the vice-presidential candidate will be uploaded tomorrow upon completion of the deposition. The process is also ongoing for other candidates,”
He noted that based on the official electoral timetable released by the commission, the political party has until July 11 to complete the uploading of its candidates for the National Assembly. Furthermore, the timeline permits the submission of names for governorship and State House of Assembly aspirants until July 17.
He added, “There is enough time for all candidates’ names to be submitted to INEC, and there is no reason for anyone to panic,”
The opposition leader expressed gratitude to all the aspirants who took part in the primary elections of the platform. While acknowledging that the exercise suffered from some structural imperfections, he noted that the internal elections were carried out under highly demanding conditions for a newly registered political organization dealing with a massive influx of contestants. He added that reconciliation procedures have been activated to unify individuals who failed to secure tickets, assuring them of roles within the national campaign councils, various committees, and other party networks.
Dickson remarked, “As National Leader, I congratulate all NDC candidates, members and lovers of democracy. All those who expressed interest will be carried along because they constitute the grassroots strength and backbone of our party,”
The former governor emphasized the urgent need to preserve the democratic architecture of the country, sounding a clear warning against coordinated attempts by certain actors to stifle multi-party systems in Nigeria.
He declared, “Our multi-party democracy must not die. We will not allow desperados and mercenaries parading as political leaders to destroy our hard-earned democracy,”
In his assessment, the national leader lauded the electoral commission for demonstrating professionalism, particularly regarding its adherence to prior judicial directives concerning the formal registration of the party alongside two other political groups. He also commended the decision of the commission to oppose recent moves aimed at the deregistration of some opposition platforms, as well as its recognition of the administrative leadership of the African Democratic Congress following a specific court order.
While admitting that the democratic institutions in the federation are still evolving with certain flaws, Dickson appealed to political actors to protect the independence and neutrality of the judiciary, the electoral umpire, and security agencies. He voiced strong optimism that the appellate court would deliver a fair verdict on the matter.
He noted, “Having filed and served our appeal and the accompanying applications, the ball is now in the court of the judiciary, and we expect the judiciary to do what is right under the law.” He concluded his address with an expression of faith in the future of the platform and the country, stating, “Long live the NDC. Long live Nigerian democracy.”
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