Olushola Omogbehin
Barely 24 hours after the duo of Peter Obi and Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), the founder of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Dr. Umar Ardo, has decided to challenge the registration of the NDC in court.
Report by The Sun revealed that Ardo, spoke with DCL Hausa and alleged that the NDC was registered without meeting the constitutional requirements which are the Electoral Act and INEC’s guidelines.
According to him, NDC did not go through the proper application process and therefore should not have been registered.
He explained that NDC only submitted a letter of intent and was never shortlisted by INEC, never used the official INEC registration portal and failed to submit key documents, including a party constitution, manifesto and executive membership list, which are required under the law and INEC’s guidelines.
Ardo said that his association formally applied to register ADA, paid all the required fees and received a letter from INEC dated September 10, 2025, confirming it had met the conditions and qualified to proceed to the next stage of the registration process but was suddenly denied registration
In the report by The Sun, Ardo expressed surprise that his party spent N200 million on the registration process and established offices across the country, only to be denied registration, while a group he claims did not follow due process was successful.
Dismissing allegation that he was acting on behalf of the current administration to destabilise the NDC, Ardo said he had challenged previous governments in court, including those of former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and the late Muhammadu Buhari.
But the founder of NDC and former Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has dismissed Ardo’s claims as sponsored propaganda meant to undermine a legitimately registered party.
Dickson disclosed this in a statement yesterday where he said:
“INEC registered new political parties following the lifting of the ban on the creation of new parties. A total of 171 political associations applied to the commission for registration.
“At a quarterly consultative meeting with political party leaders in Abuja in February 2026, INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan revealed that only two of the 171 applicants had been granted registration, the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the NDC which was registered in compliance with a court order.”
He said the registrations were carried out in line with Sections 222 and 223 of the 1999 Constitution, Sections 75 and 79 of the Electoral Act 2022 and the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.
Dickson had earlier said the party’s registration process began in 2017 before Ardo considered forming a political party, and was only suspended because INEC placed a ban on the registration of new parties.
He said then INEC lifted the embargo, the NDC revived its application and was listed among the 171 associations.
Dickson said when INEC wrote to the NDC stating that its logo, which is a two-finger sign, was similar to the APC’s broom symbol, the NDC disputed this and offered to change the logo but was denied.
“We wrote to INEC notifying them of our intention to sue and we went to court over this unlawful exclusion and upon this, the court enforced our rights to freedom of association, deemed us registered and directed INEC to register us, which they have implemented.
“No individual or group has the legal standing to contest the registration of a political party after a court judgment has been duly obeyed and implemented by INEC,” he said.
Expressing disappointment that a man he took as a friend and political ally had chosen to publicly attack the NDC, he noted that the NDC was not the only party that was registered through court action but also the Nigeria Democratic Party (NDP).
