Promoter of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Umar Ardo, has insisted that the movement to register the party will continue up to the Supreme Court if necessary, despite a Federal High Court ruling dismissing his suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over alleged procedural flaws.

Speaking in an interview on ARISE NEWS on Thursday, Ardo said the case was dismissed on a preliminary objection rather than on its substantive merit, and confirmed that his legal team was preparing to review the judgment for a possible appeal.

“On Wednesday, the Federal High Court dismissed our case on the basis of a preliminary objection raised by those two guys who joined us—that we ought to have come through writ of summons and not originating summons,” he said.

He maintained that the matter had not been fully tested in court and expressed confidence that it could progress to higher judicial levels.

“We are going to collect the CTC of the judgment, we are going to look at it, and then we will decide whether we need to test its veracity at the Appeal Court. Most likely, we are going to do so,” Ardo said. “I would like to finish what I start. I think we will go up to the Supreme Court to resolve this matter.”

Ardo stressed that ADA’s registration effort was not driven by the 2027 elections but by a broader desire to create what he described as a credible political alternative in Nigeria.

“We are not registering ADA simply because of 2027. There are going to be elections and more elections. We want an alternative that is the right alternative,” he said. “We believe ADA is the right alternative, given the way we tried to register it. We went backwards to fulfil each and every requirement of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.”

He further argued that the court did not rule on the merits of the case.

“The matter was not determined on its merits. It was determined on a preliminary objection,” he said.

Ardo also described what he called a broader philosophical interpretation of judicial reasoning.

“Everything in life is in the dynamic opposite… If there is left, there is right; if there is up, there is down… If a court or a judge wants to dismiss a matter, he will only look at the other side of that dynamic and then take that side. And I think that is what the Honourable Judge did yesterday,” he said.

A significant part of the interview focused on Ardo’s opposition to the registration of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), a position which has generated internal disagreement within ADA and public criticism.

Ardo insisted his position was personal and based on facts uncovered during ADA’s own registration process, not an official party stance.

“You got it wrong. Before our party made that press statement, we agreed in principle to distinguish Dr. Umar Ardo and ADA. My opposition to NDC is not on behalf of ADA,” he said.

He argued that it was factually incorrect to suggest that opposing the NDC amounted to opposing all opposition parties.

“There are 21 political parties in the country. The only governing party is the APC. The one I am opposing is the NDC. There are 19 more opposition political parties,” he said.

Ardo then detailed what he described as irregularities in the NDC’s attempt to register as a political party, claiming the process did not comply with INEC requirements.

“Before you register a political party, you form an association. They formed the Nigerian Democratic Congress. Then you write a letter of intent to INEC,” he explained.

According to him, INEC initially rejected the NDC’s application due to issues with its logo.

“INEC wrote back to NDC and said your logo is similar to other political parties and associations. Therefore, we cannot continue,” he said.

He alleged that instead of following due process through court timelines and proper administrative procedures, the NDC pursued legal action based only on correspondence with INEC.

“The law says if INEC writes such a letter, within 14 days you should go to court. But NDC did not follow that properly,” he said.

Ardo further claimed that the NDC did not complete key registration requirements such as submission of required forms and documents.

“Until you fill Form EC15A—where you upload the party name, acronym, logo, constitution, manifesto, executive members, and pay the required fee—you have not applied,” he said.
“NDC did not do that. NDC did not pay. NDC did not fill that form. NDC did not do anything.”

He argued that a court judgment recognising the party’s compliance was therefore flawed.

“The court said NDC has fulfilled all the requirements of the Constitution and Electoral Act. Which is not true,” he said.

Ardo accused INEC of failing to challenge what he described as an erroneous judgment.

“INEC knows the truth. INEC knows NDC did not apply. So INEC ought to have resisted and appealed,” he said.
“INEC just said it will not appeal and will give them certificates.”

He also questioned the timing of the NDC’s judicial victory in relation to INEC processes.

“NDC got this judgment on the 3rd of December while the process was still going on. The visitation did not take place until the 8th and 10th of December,” he said.

Responding to suggestions that his actions were destabilising opposition politics or targeting specific political figures, Ardo denied any personal or partisan motive.

“What is my business with Obi? What is my business with Kongoso? I have no motive whatsoever other than to stop a national fraud on the country,” he said.

He maintained that he had no direct communication with key political actors but had warned intermediaries about the alleged issues surrounding the NDC.

“I communicated to those close to Obi, telling them to inform him… I also told Kongoso before they moved in,” he said.

Ardo concluded that his legal and political actions were based on principle rather than personal interest.

“The situation is as bad as it has always been. So I have no motive whatsoever other than to stop a national fraud on the country,” he said.

Boluwatife Enome