Bayelsa West senator and national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has released a copy of a response letter from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) relating to the party’s registration application submitted in 2017.
This comes amid ongoing criticism of INEC’s handling of political party registrations, particularly allegations that the commission deviated from its standard procedures in registering the NDC. The criticism was raised by Umar Ardo, a founding figure of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), who questioned the legitimacy of the process.
ADA was among eight associations pre-qualified by INEC in October 2025 after completing required documentation, although the commission later stated that only two met the conditions for final verification. INEC chairman Joash Amupitan also noted that the registration of some parties followed a court order.
Despite not being part of the 2025 pre-qualified group, the NDC was still registered by INEC, further fueling debate around the process.
Responding to the controversy, Dickson shared INEC’s 2017 letter addressed to the party’s interim leadership, confirming receipt of the application and stating that the proposed name met constitutional requirements for party registration.
The letter, signed by then INEC secretary Augusta Ogakwu, advised the party to proceed with additional registration steps in line with official guidelines.
Dickson explained that the document proves the NDC began its registration process years earlier and that the application was initially acknowledged by the commission before being delayed. He added that the party later updated its documentation when registration resumed.
He dismissed the controversy as politically motivated distractions and urged Nigerians to ignore what he described as propaganda against the party.
Dickson also encouraged citizens to join and participate in the NDC, saying the party aims to contribute to rebuilding the country through active political engagement.
