The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to upload and recognise the modified digital logo of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
Former Bayelsa State Governor and leader of the NDC, Seriake Dickson, made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Dickson said Justice J.O. Abdulmalik delivered the judgment following a suit instituted by the party, seeking an order compelling INEC to recognise the modified logo contained in the NDC constitution rather than the association logo under which the party was originally registered.
He explained that the party’s first National Executive Council (NEC) meeting approved the modified logo and submitted it to INEC, which subsequently uploaded the design.
According to him, the commission later deleted the modified logo without informing the party of the reason and instead restored the old association logo.
Dickson said the party was left with no option but to seek judicial intervention after efforts to get INEC to address the issue failed despite the commission being given adequate time to resolve it.
Reacting to the judgment, he described the ruling as a confirmation of the party’s stance and an affirmation of the importance of following due process.
The former governor also directed NDC candidates and members to commence the use of the constitutionally approved modified digital logo on campaign materials such as banners, posters and other publicity items.
Dickson noted that the two versions of the logo feature the two-finger victory sign but maintained that the modified version is the official design stipulated by the party’s constitution and the one that enjoys broader recognition.
“We understand that some candidates and party members may have already made arrangements using the other logo, and we regret the inconvenience this may have caused,” he said.
“However, both logos retain the two-finger victory sign. Candidates should now transition to the logo approved in our party’s constitution, which is the authentic party logo and, indeed, the one that is more widely recognised.”
Dickson further characterised the disagreement over the party’s logo as one of the “administrative machinations” he said the NDC had continued to encounter.
