Tuesday May 5, 2026
www.thenewsdesk.ng

Fresh trouble seems to be looming for Peter Obi and Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso as the promoter of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Dr Umar Ardo, has vowed to challenge the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in court, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of irregularities in the registration.

Obi, the former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate and former Kano State governor, Kwankwaso, formally joined the NDC on Sunday.

Ardo, who spoke with DCL Hausa, alleged that the NDC was registered without meeting the constitutional requirements, the Electoral Act and INEC’s guidelines.

But NDC founder and former Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has dismissed Ardo’s claims as sponsored propaganda meant to undermine a legitimately registered party.

Dickson, in a statement yesterday, said, “INEC registered new political parties following the lifting of the ban on the creation of new parties.

“A total of 171 political associations applied to the commission for registration. At a quarterly consultative meeting with political party leaders in Abuja in February 2026, INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, revealed that only two of the 171 applicants had been granted registration, the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the NDC, which was registered in compliance with a court order.”

He said the registrations were carried out in line with Sections 222 and 223 of the 1999 Constitution, Sections 75 and 79 of the Electoral Act 2022 and the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.

However, Ardo argued that the NDC did not go through the proper application process and therefore should not have been registered.

He said the NDC only submitted a letter of intent, was never shortlisted by INEC, never used the official INEC registration portal and failed to submit key documents, including a party constitution, manifesto and executive membership list, which are required under the law and INEC’s guidelines.

He said his association formally applied to register ADA, paid all the required fees and received a letter from INEC dated September 10, 2025, confirming it had met the conditions and qualified to proceed to the next stage of the registration process.

He said ADA provided all the necessary documents for verification, yet the association was denied registration alongside 13 other groups and has since taken the matter to court.

He then said he was surprised at the speed with which the NDC secured its court judgment.

He revealed that he spent N200 million on the registration process and had established offices across the country, only to be denied registration, while a group he claims did not follow due process was successful.

“The Nigeria Democratic Congress obtained registration without a proper application. It did not meet the requirements set by the law, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or INEC guidelines.

“It is clearly irregular. Even on INEC’s website, the party’s leadership is listed as having emerged by court order. Yet, at the time of the ruling, no names were submitted. The names were only provided after registration.

“Within 32 days of filing its case, the NDC secured judgment. Our own case has been in court for five months without a ruling. This kind of inconsistency brings instability and undermines peace in the country,” he said.

Ardo dismissed suggestions that he was acting on behalf of the current administration to destabilise the NDC ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying that he had challenged previous governments in court, including those of former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and the late Muhammadu Buhari.

However, Dickson, in a previous statement, said the party’s registration process began in 2017, before Ardo considered forming a political party, and was only suspended because INEC placed a ban on the registration of new parties.

He said when INEC lifted the embargo, the NDC revived its application and was listed among the 171 associations.

Dickson said when INEC wrote to the NDC stating that its logo, which is a two-finger sign, was similar to the APC’s broom symbol, the NDC disputed this and offered to change the logo, but was denied.

On whether the judgment could be challenged, Dickson said that since INEC had accepted and complied with the ruling without filing an appeal, and since the appeal window had closed, no third party has the legal standing to contest the registration.

“We wrote to INEC notifying them of our intention to sue, and we went to court over this unlawful exclusion and upon this, the court enforced our rights to freedom of association, deemed us registered and directed INEC to register us, which they have implemented.

“No individual or group has the legal standing to contest the registration of a political party after a court judgment has been duly obeyed and implemented by INEC,” he said.

He also noted that the NDC was not the only party that was registered through court action, but that the Nigeria Democratic Party (NDP) is not being attacked by Ardo.

He expressed disappointment that a man he took as a friend and political ally had chosen to publicly attack the NDC.

*TheSUN