INEC reinstates NDC's access to nomination platform, according to Dickson

The Independent National Electoral Commission has reinstated the Nigeria Democratic Congress' access to its candidate nomination portal, thereby enabling the party to submit the names of its National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, and presidential candidate, Peter Obi, amidst the ongoing legal dispute regarding the party's status.

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This development was disclosed by Dickson in a post on his X account on Tuesday, where he characterized it as a positive step following the party's filing of a notice of appeal and an application for stay of execution against the Federal High Court's judgment in Lokoja last week.

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According to Dickson, the party remains a duly registered political party, having validly conducted its primaries under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and the appeal and accompanying applications have been served on the electoral commission with a covering letter urging it to act in accordance with the law.

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Dickson stated that the party has filed an appeal against the ruling, as well as a stay of execution/injunction, which has been served with a covering letter to the INEC chairman and his team to act in accordance with the law and what is legally sensible.

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The Nigeria Democratic Congress has come to stay and remains a duly registered party in Nigeria, which has participated in all the political processes so far, with nomination processes already concluded and candidates having emerged from the party for all offices across the country in primaries observed, monitored, and recorded by INEC.

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What remains is the administrative process of submitting the names to INEC, and the party has been granted access to the portal to upload its qualified candidates, with Dickson's name and that of the party's presidential candidate, Peter Obi, having already been uploaded to the commission's portal.

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The upload of the vice presidential candidate's name is set to be done the following day upon completion of the deposition, and the process is ongoing for other candidates, according to Dickson.

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Dickson urged party members not to panic, noting that there is still sufficient time to complete the nomination process within INEC's timetable, which allows for the upload of National Assembly candidates until the 11th of next month and those of governors and State Houses of Assembly until the 17th of July.

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Thus, there is enough time for all candidates' names to be submitted to INEC, and there is no reason for anyone to panic, Dickson added.

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The former Bayelsa State governor also appealed to unsuccessful aspirants to support the party, stating that reconciliation efforts have commenced and all those who expressed interest will be carried along in the party's campaigns, committees, and structures.

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Dickson thanked INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, for the commission's professionalism and urged the judiciary to determine the appeal in accordance with the law, expecting the judiciary to do what is right under the law now that the appeal and accompanying applications have been filed and served.

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The development comes days after the NDC filed an appeal challenging the Federal High Court judgment that sparked uncertainty over the party's registration, with the party insisting that the judgment neither dissolved nor deregistered it.

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The opposition party has maintained that it remains legally recognised pending the determination of its appeal.