A post circulating on social media claims that former President Goodluck Jonathan and his associates founded the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The post suggests that the party was established by Jonathan to serve as a new political vehicle for his political interests and those of his allies.
A verified X user, @Tope_soft, made the post on May 2, 2026, with the caption:
“So NDC was started by Goodluck Jonathan and his guys. Interesting.”
As of May 5, the post has generated over 145,000 views, 4500 likes and over 450 reposts, with lots of comments believing the claim.
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CLAIM
Former President Goodluck Jonathan is the founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) was not founded by Goodluck Jonathan.
Investigations reveal that the NDC is a platform that has existed in Nigeria’s political space prior to the 2027 election cycle. It was registered in 2017.
In early 2026, the party held its maiden National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, where Henry Seriake Dickson, a senator representing Bayelsa West, was mentioned as the national leader.
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Speaking on TVC News’ “Politics on Sunday” on March 8, 2026, Dickson announced that he is the founder of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). When asked if he was among the party’s founding members, he responded:
“First of all, NDC is my baby. I put it together with my friends across the nation. You’re not seeing some of them now, but in the coming weeks, by the end of this month, you’ll see those involved in NDC.”
Credible news outlets like TheCable and The Nation also acknowledged that the party was primarily founded and led by Seriake Dickson, who was also a former governor of Bayelsa State.
In addition, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced in March during a plenary session that Dickson founded NDC and he’s the national leader of the party.
The claim surfaced following a major political realignment where the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, defected to the NDC.
The ICIR reported that the duo joined the party on Sunday.
They received their membership cards in a video shared on Facebook by the party’s National Leader and former Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, on Sunday evening.
Footage from the event showed the registration process, with Kwankwaso first presented with his membership card before Obi received his, signalling their formal entry into the party.
While Jonathan remains a prominent political figure and has been linked to various consultative meetings across party lines, there is no official record from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) or the party’s own documentation that names him as a founder or holds any leadership position in the party.
VERDICT
The claim that Goodluck Jonathan founded the NDC is FALSE. The party was founded by Henry Seriake Dickson, a senator representing Bayelsa West.
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
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