National leader of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has defended the legitimacy of the party’s registration, insisting the party’s formation process dated back to 2017.

“For the record, the annexures show that we initiated the registration process for the NDC as far back as 2017 and that INEC granted approval at that time before the process was halted,” said Mr Dickson in a statement on Monday.

His clarification followed allegations from Umar Ardo, convener of the League of Northern Democrats and promoter of the All Democratic Alliance, that the Independent National Electoral Commission unlawfully registered the NDC in violation of constitutional provisions and its own guidelines.

Mr Ardo, in an interview on DCL Hausa, accused INEC of ignoring his group while allegedly recognising NDC.

Mr Dickson, who shared the party’s registration documents on X, clarified that the NDC updated his registration when the electoral body resumed registration of political group.

The politician stated, “When party registration resumed last year, we revisited and updated our earlier application. The other document shows a Google search we conducted on February 3, 2017, while searching for the appropriate “V-sign” as the party’s logo.”

Noting the allegations were based on propaganda or blackmail, Mr Dickson urged Nigerians to reject the claim and focus on the party.

“With my experience in politics, I am fully aware that an ambitious project of this nature will attract distractions—rumours, gossip, propaganda, and even blackmail. These are all parts of the terrain that we are used to. I therefore urge Nigerians to discountenance and ignore such propaganda about the ndc or any of its leaders and remain focused on the bigger picture,” he stated.

The politician urged Nigerians to join the NDC ahead of the forthcoming elections.

The NDC has witnessed significant support from Nigerians since former Anambra governor Peter Obi and his Kano counterpart, Rabiu Kwankwaso, joined the party ahead of the 2027 elections.