Former Bayelsa State Governor and National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has announced that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has restored the party’s access to its candidate nomination portal, allowing it to upload the names of its candidates despite the ongoing legal dispute over its status.
Dickson disclosed the development in a statement shared on his X account on Tuesday, describing the restoration as a positive outcome after the party filed a notice of appeal and an application for a stay of execution against a recent Federal High Court judgment in Lokoja.
According to him, the appeal and accompanying applications have been served on INEC, with a request for the commission to act in line with the law while the case remains before the courts.
He maintained that the NDC remains a legally registered political party and that its primaries, which produced candidates for various elective offices, were conducted under the supervision of INEC.
Dickson said the party had successfully uploaded his name as its National Leader and that of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the commission’s nomination portal.
He added that the vice-presidential candidate’s details would be uploaded upon the completion of the required documentation, while the submission of names for other candidates was also underway.
The senator urged party members and supporters to remain calm, noting that there was still sufficient time to complete the nomination process within INEC’s timetable.
He said nominations for National Assembly candidates would close on July 11, while submissions for governorship and State House of Assembly candidates would end on July 17.
Dickson also appealed to aspirants who did not secure the party’s tickets to support the NDC, saying reconciliation efforts had begun to unite members ahead of the elections.
He expressed appreciation to INEC for what he described as its professionalism in handling the matter and called on the judiciary to determine the party’s appeal in accordance with the law.
The development comes days after the NDC challenged a Federal High Court judgment that created uncertainty over its legal status, insisting that the ruling neither dissolved nor deregistered the party and that it remains legally recognised pending the outcome of its appeal.
