The national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Seriake Dickson, has reacted to the upload of the party’s approved logo on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, portal.

In a post on his verified X handle on Tuesday, Dickson appreciated the Nigerian judiciary and the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, and all members of the commission’s team for complying with the court judgment.

Dickson also extended gratitude to the National Chairman of the NDC, Moses Cleopas, and the members of the National Executive Committee, NEC, for their hard work.

The former Bayelsa State governor called for all hands to be on the deck to ensure that all candidates campaign and take their message freely to every part of Nigeria without intimidation.

“Our approved logo has now been uploaded, and candidates can print campaign materials and continue their consultations and campaigns with certainty.

“We are fighters, and we will fight until the end. We have resisted those who sought to use the judiciary against the party, and they have failed.

“I call on all candidates to work with the party at all levels in the composition of their campaign teams as they are not independent candidates and avoid self-sabotage.

“The NDC is a product of vision, selfless dedication, and commitment to democratic ideals. We are prepared to fight to uphold the democratic rights of Nigerians and to ensure that multi-party democracy thrives,” he stated.

Gatefield, a public strategy and media group, will convene health policymakers, innovators, and creative-sector leaders in Abuja on 21 and 22 October to discuss how to expand successful health interventions and integrate them into wider health systems.

The 2026 Gatefield Health Summit, themed “Scaling What Works,” will focus on the policy, financing and institutional barriers that limit the expansion of proven health solutions across Africa.

The event, which will also be accessible virtually, is expected to bring together stakeholders to examine how grassroots initiatives, digital health tools and locally developed solutions can move beyond isolated successes and reach more communities.

Building on 2025 discussions

The summit comes a year after the inaugural edition, where experts and policymakers called for stronger domestic health financing, community-led innovation and greater use of data and local expertise to build resilient health systems.

Participants at the 2025 summit also raised concerns about the sustainability of health interventions that rely heavily on external funding, while advocating greater investment in locally developed solutions and stronger community ownership of health programmes.

The discussions also highlighted the need for African countries to use evidence, research and local expertise more effectively in shaping health policies and designing health systems.

Building on those concerns, this year’s summit will focus on what is required to move effective interventions from individual projects to wider adoption.

Speaking on the focus of the summit, Gatefield’s Public Health Lead, Omei Bongos, said many effective health solutions were already being developed and implemented across Africa but faced barriers that limited their expansion.

Ms Bongos said bringing stakeholders from different parts of the health ecosystem together would help create the conditions needed to expand such interventions.

“Effective, high-impact health solutions are already thriving across Africa. However, their growth is stalled by a missing institutional backbone, from essential capital to conducive policy frameworks”.

“By uniting key stakeholders across the ecosystem, this summit seeks to drive these solutions into every community,” she said.

Longevity

A major feature of the two-day event will be the launch of a new Gatefield report examining the factors driving premature mortality in Africa, with a particular focus on Nigeria.

The findings are expected to inform discussions on longevity and the wider factors that determine how long and how well people live.

The programme will examine issues beyond medical treatment, including food and agricultural systems and their role in addressing the rising burden of non-communicable diseases.

It will also explore the use of film, digital culture and other creative industries to influence health behaviour and communicate public health messages to wider audiences.

READ ALSO: Gatefield, experts call for urgent reforms to address Nigerias health crisis

Speakers

Confirmed speakers include Siddhartha Prakash, Head of Global Health at the World Intellectual Property Organisation; Senator Ipalibo Banigo, Chair of the Nigerian Senate Health Committee; Shina Arogundade, Chief Executive Officer of MyItura; Osita Okonkwo, Country Director of Nutrition International; and Jamila Yakubu, Director of Programme Medicines at Zipline.

Other global health leaders are expected to participate in the event.