The controversy surrounding the registration of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) has escalated into a sharper legal as All Democratic Alliance (ADA) promoter, Dr. Umar Ardo, described the entire court-backed registration process as “a judicial murder,” alleging that both the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) abandoned constitutional procedure in approving the party’s recognition.
Speaking on Tuesday during an exclusive media chat on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, Ardo insisted that what played out was not a mere administrative dispute but a systemic breach of electoral law that undermines the credibility of party registration in Nigeria.
Ardo opened his submission by situating the matter within what he described as the constitutional framework governing political party formation, stressing that there is a clearly defined sequence that begins with an expression of intent and must progress through strict compliance stages before judicial intervention can even arise. He insisted that the failure to follow this sequence renders any subsequent approval legally questionable.
In his words, “This is not just irregularity. That is why I call it a judicial murder. There was absolutely nothing—no receipt, no documents, no compliance—yet judgment was given. And people must understand that political party registration in Nigeria is not arbitrary, it is structured by law and by INEC regulations that must be followed step by step without omission.”
He then proceeded to outline in extensive detail the first stage of the process, explaining that it begins with a formal letter of intent submitted to INEC by the leadership of the association.
According to him, this is not a casual communication but a legally recognised trigger for administrative review. “First, you are going to write a letter of intent to INEC, signed by the chairman and secretary of the association. Now in that letter, you will tell INEC that we have formed a political association that is interested in being registered as a political party. You will tell INEC that this is the name of our political association. For example, All Democratic Alliance. Then you will give them the acronym of the association, ADA. And then you will say this is our logo. Maybe a symbol, maybe a victory sign or whatever it is. And then you say to INEC that we would want you to consider us among those interested in registration. Now INEC will respond within 48 hours that they have received your letter and will get back to you, and after that there is a period of review that lasts about 60 days where they examine whether your name, acronym or logo conflicts with existing associations or political parties.”
He expanded further that this initial approval stage is only provisional and does not confer any legal status as a political party, stressing that it merely opens the pathway to formal registration.
“After that review, INEC will write you again and say we have examined your letter of intent and we have seen whether your name, for example All Democratic Alliance, is already taken or whether your acronym ADA is already in use or whether your logo is in conflict with another association. For example, if your acronym is similar to another one, they will tell you. If your logo is similar to another political association, they will tell you. If everything is fine, they will allow you to proceed. But that is not registration yet, it is only clearance to proceed to formal registration.”
Ardo then moved to what he described as the substantive registration phase, where he insisted that compliance becomes exhaustive and highly technical, involving financial, structural, and documentary requirements that cannot be bypassed. He explained that this stage includes mandatory fees and digital submission of detailed organisational data through INEC’s portal system.
“Then you now come for formal registration. You have to pay certain administrative fees, in this case two million naira. Then INEC has a dedicated portal, EC15A, where you now fill all your details online. You will put the name of your association, the acronym, and you will explain the meaning and symbolism of your logo. You will upload your constitution, your manifesto, your national executive committee list across at least 24 states or 36 states depending on requirement. You will upload their names, their addresses, their telephone numbers, their emails. You will also upload the address of your national headquarters which must be in Abuja, and you must provide proof of ownership or a tenancy agreement of at least one year. You will open a bank account in the name of the association and upload it. And there are about 26 requirements in total that must be satisfied before INEC can approve registration. This is all contained in the constitution, in section 222, in the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.”
He insisted that the NDC did not meet any of these conditions beyond the initial stage of intent, arguing that the process was fundamentally incomplete before it reached the court. “But you see, NDC never did all this. It only wrote a letter of intent like all the other associations. It did not proceed to formal registration. It did not upload documents. It did not pay the administrative fee. It did not comply with the requirements of EC15A. It did not submit executives across the required states. So the process was not completed at all.”
Ardo further alleged that INEC had initially flagged concerns over the party’s logo, which he said resembled the symbol of another association, and argued that instead of resolving that issue within administrative procedure, the matter was escalated prematurely to court. “INEC wrote them back and said your logo, which is the victory sign, is in conflict with another political association called Peace Movement of Nigeria. Instead of correcting that issue or redesigning it or complying with what INEC said, they went back and forth and then they rushed to court instead of completing the administrative process.”
He then turned his criticism to the Federal High Court in Lokoja, which issued the order compelling INEC to proceed with registration, arguing that the case itself was filed outside the statutory timeline and therefore should not have been entertained.
“The law is very clear. If INEC refuses your application, you have 14 days to go to court. But in this case, NDC waited almost two months before going to court. That case was already statute-barred under the Electoral Act. INEC raised this as a preliminary objection, but the judge ignored it and said it was about the end of conversation. That is not what the law says. The law does not recognise end of conversation in that context. The law recognises strict timelines.”
The former Adamawa governorship candidate also questioned the speed at which judgment was delivered, describing it as unusual given the complexity of electoral disputes. “They filed the case on November 10, 2025, and by December 3, 2025 they already got judgment. That is less than 33 days. Meanwhile, we have been in court for more than five months and we have not gotten judgment. So people must ask questions about consistency in judicial timelines in matters of this nature.”
Ardo further accused INEC of publishing party officials who, according to him, were not part of any court-sanctioned documentation, arguing that this amounted to administrative misrepresentation. “INEC published names of party officers that were never part of the court judgment. There is no such order anywhere that listed those names and said publish them. That is the worst perversion of justice. It is a lie that is put on the letterhead of government. You cannot just create names and attribute them to a court order that does not exist.”
He maintained that INEC had the legal right to appeal the ruling rather than comply automatically, stressing that obedience to court orders does not erase procedural flaws. “Yes, INEC must obey court orders, everybody knows that, but INEC also had the option of appealing the decision. In the face of glaring evidence that the process was not followed, INEC should have gone to the Court of Appeal instead of just implementing it.”
Ardo also questioned why the case was filed in Lokoja instead of Abuja, where INEC headquarters is located, suggesting that jurisdictional choices in legal matters should not be dismissed lightly. “INEC headquarters is in Abuja. Why move the case to Lokoja to file it? These are facts that people with critical minds will start putting together. I am not alleging anything, but when you put two and two together, you may begin to see patterns that raise questions.”
Responding to claims by former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, that the party’s recognition was based on a 2017 INEC acknowledgment letter, Ardo rejected the argument entirely, insisting that the process had long expired. “You cannot take your application from 2017 and bring it forward. That process was closed. INEC guidelines clearly state that such approvals expire after 30 days. INEC even wrote him that he had discontinued the process. Why did he not release that letter to the public?”
On the wider implications, Ardo warned that failure to enforce procedural integrity would weaken democratic institutions and erode public trust in both INEC and the judiciary. “If we allow this, then anybody can just write a letter and go to court and claim compliance. The entire process becomes meaningless. Where truth is perverted, institutions are weakened. People lose confidence in the judiciary and in INEC.”
Meanwhile, He confirmed that he is currently consulting senior lawyers and exploring possible legal action, including appealing out of time, depending on judicial discretion. “I have given the documents to three Senior Advocates of Nigeria. We are looking at locus standi and the possibility of appealing out of time. In constitutional matters, locus does not arise. Any citizen can go to court.”
Ardo concluded by framing his intervention as a civic responsibility rather than a political confrontation, insisting that the issue goes beyond party competition. “I am not doing this because I did not get registration. I am doing this to protect our democracy. What is right is right and what is wrong is wrong. If we do not stand for what is right, then we are destroying our society.”
