Court voids judgment recognising NDC as political party

A federal high court sitting in Lokoja has nullified its earlier judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.

Delivering the ruling on Friday, Justice Isah Dashen held that the earlier decision could not stand because it affected the interests of the Peace Movement Party, which was not joined as a party in the suit despite laying claim to the logo adopted by the NDC.

C.S. Ekeocha, counsel to the peace movement party, said his client approached the court after discovering that the logo used in the NDC’s registration process had already been submitted to INEC before the original case commenced.

According to him, the court ordered all parties to revert to the positions they occupied before the December 10, 2025 judgment and directed the claimants to include every necessary party in the case to allow all issues to be fully determined.

Ekeocha explained that the ruling effectively nullifies every action taken by INEC based on the earlier judgment.

He said the recognition of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in INEC’s official records and any appearance on ballot papers flowing from the previous judgment must be withdrawn pending the determination of the substantive suit.

He clarified that the dispute over the party’s registration has not been concluded, noting that the court merely vacated its earlier judgment to enable all affected parties to be heard before a fresh decision is reached.