Dickson said the restoration of the portal followed the filing of a notice of appeal and an application for stay of execution against last week’s judgment.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has restored the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)’s access to its candidate nomination portal, allowing the party to begin uploading the names of its candidates for the 2027 general election despite the ongoing court dispute over its legal status.
The National Leader of the NDC and former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, announced the development on Tuesday in a statement posted on his X account, describing it as a major step in the party’s efforts to comply with the electoral timetable.
Dickson said the restoration of the portal followed the filing of a notice of appeal and an application for stay of execution against last week’s judgment of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, which triggered uncertainty over the party’s registration.
According to him, the appeal and the accompanying applications have been served on INEC with a covering letter urging the commission to act in accordance with the law while the case is pending before the Court of Appeal.
He insisted that the NDC remains a legally registered political party, stressing that all its primary elections were conducted under the supervision and monitoring of INEC.
“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.
“Nomination processes have already been concluded and, in the eyes of the law, candidates have already emerged from the party for all offices across the country in primaries observed, monitored and recorded by INEC.
“What is left is the administrative process of submitting the names to INEC, and we have been granted access to the portal to upload our qualified candidates,” Dickson said.
He disclosed that his name and that of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had already been uploaded to the INEC portal.
According to him, the vice presidential candidate’s details will be uploaded after the completion of the required documentation, while the submission of names for other candidates is ongoing.
Dickson also sought to reassure party members, saying there was no reason to panic because the party still had enough time to complete the nomination process within the deadlines set by INEC.
He noted that the commission’s timetable gives political parties until July 11 to upload the names of National Assembly candidates and July 17 for governorship and State House of Assembly candidates.
“There is enough time for all candidates’ names to be submitted to INEC and there is no reason for anyone to panic,” he said.
The former governor also appealed to aspirants who lost in the party’s primaries to put their grievances aside and work for the success of the NDC, revealing that reconciliation efforts had already begun.
He said all aspirants would be carried along in the party’s campaign structures and committees because they remain critical to its grassroots mobilisation.
Dickson further commended INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, for what he described as the commission’s professionalism and expressed confidence that the judiciary would determine the appeal in line with the law.
The latest development comes just days after the NDC appealed the Federal High Court judgment that threw the party’s registration into question.
The party has maintained that the judgment neither dissolved nor deregistered it and insists it remains a legally recognised political party pending the outcome of its appeal before the Court of Appeal.