National leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson has stated that the party has filed an appeal against the recent ruling of the federal high court in Lokoja, Kogi state, which voided its registration.
In a post on his X page on Monday, Dickson said his name and that of Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, have been uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal following the legal move.
Recall that a recent court ruling had vacated an earlier ruling that allowed INEC recognise the NDC as a political party.
On Friday June 26, Justice Isah Dashen ruled that the earlier judgment had infringed on the rights of the Peace Movement Party because the court did not join the party in the original suit, despite its claim that it owned the logo the NDC used.
The ruling followed an application by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which argued that it had a legal interest in the matter and should have been joined in the suit before the court delivered its judgment.
After finding that the earlier proceedings excluded parties with vested interests, the judge ordered the court to conduct a fresh hearing with all relevant parties properly joined.
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‘WE HAVE FILED AN APPEAL’
Disclosing the most recent development, the party’s national leader said the party has appealed the ruling and INEC has granted the party access to upload the names of its candidates.“Today, the NDC 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 do what is right according to law and what is legally sensible,” he said.
“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.
“My name and that of the Presidential Candidate have been uploaded to the INEC portal, while that of the Vice Presidential Candidate will be done tomorrow upon completion of the deposition. The process is also ongoing for other candidates.”
Dickson said the party is acting in tandem with the timelines provided by INEC for the submission of candidates for various elective positions.
Additionally, he appreciated Nigerians for their support, adding that having filed and served the appeal and accompanying applications, “the ball is now in the court of the judiciary”, expressing confidence that the courts would “do what is right under the law”.
