Dickson Vows NDC Will Contest 2027 Polls, Says Party Has Filed Appeal Against Court Ruling

National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the party’s senatorial candidate for Bayelsa West, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, has declared that the party will not be forced out of the 2027 general elections, insisting it remains a legally registered political platform determined to defend its place through the courts.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page late Monday night, Dickson disclosed that the NDC has filed a notice of appeal against the recent Federal High Court ruling affecting its registration. He said the party also lodged an application for a stay of execution and an injunction pending the determination of the appeal.
According to him, the appeal documents have been served on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its chairman, urging the commission to act in accordance with the law while the legal process runs its course.

Dickson maintained that the NDC has fulfilled all legal requirements for participation in the elections, stressing that its nomination process has been concluded and candidates duly emerged through primaries monitored and documented by INEC.
He explained that the remaining step is the administrative submission of candidates’ names to INEC, noting that the commission has already granted the party access to its portal for uploads.

The former Bayelsa State governor revealed that his name, alongside that of the party’s presidential candidate, has already been uploaded, while the vice-presidential candidate’s details will be submitted once the necessary deposition is completed.
He dismissed concerns over the party’s readiness, pointing out that the NDC remains comfortably within INEC’s timetable, which allows political parties until July 11 to submit National Assembly candidates and July 17 for governorship and state assembly candidates.

Dickson warned against any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s multi-party democracy, saying the NDC would resist efforts by what he described as “desperados and mercenaries parading as political leaders” to weaken democratic competition.
He also expressed confidence that the judiciary would uphold the rule of law, saying that with the appeal and accompanying applications already filed, it is now the responsibility of the courts to ensure justice is done.

Dickson commended the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, for what he described as his professionalism, particularly in complying with the earlier court directive that led to the registration of the NDC and two other political parties, as well as his opposition to moves aimed at deregistering opposition parties.
On internal party affairs, Dickson assured members that reconciliation efforts were ongoing, promising that aspirants who did not secure nominations would remain integral to the party’s campaigns and organisational structure.
The NDC, formed through a coalition of opposition interests, has positioned itself as a credible alternative in Nigeria’s political landscape. Dickson’s latest intervention underscores the party’s resolve to pursue both legal and political avenues to ensure its candidates appear on the ballot in the 2027 general elections.