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During an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, May 14, 2026, Umar Ardo spoke about the legal challenge filed against the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and the future of his political movement.
Ardo made the remarks while responding to questions about his earlier opposition to the registration of the NDC and whether he still intended to continue the legal battle despite growing acceptance of the party within opposition political circles. He explained that the Federal High Court dismissed the case on procedural grounds rather than on the substance of the allegations raised against the registration process.
According to him, “Actually,yesterday, 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 a writ of summons and not through originating summons.”
He further stated, “Now the preliminary objection was raised by the joiners. Now they knew that we were there through the originating summons, and they joined. So our lawyers did not see fit, you know, to amend and then go through a writ of summons.”
Ardo explained that the court ruled the matter should have been filed through a writ of summons instead of an originating summons, a distinction in legal procedure that relates to how disputes are presented before the court. A writ of summons is generally used in cases involving disputed facts and the possibility of witness testimony, while an originating summons is typically used for legal interpretation where facts are not substantially contested.
