A Federal High Court in Lokoja has set aside its earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
Justice Isah Dashen ruled on Friday that the earlier judgment affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was not joined in the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo used by the NDC.
Counsel to the Peace Movement Party, C.S. Ekeocha, said the party approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had earlier submitted to INEC before the case commenced.
The court ordered all parties to return to the position they occupied before the December 10, 2025 judgment and directed the claimants to join all necessary parties to ensure the issues in dispute are fully and fairly determined.
The ruling effectively reverses all actions taken by INEC based on the earlier judgment, including the recognition of the NDC, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records and any appearance on ballot papers, pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Ekeocha stressed that the case has not been concluded, explaining that the court merely set aside its previous judgment to allow all affected parties to be heard before a fresh decision is reached.
The dispute over the registration of the NDC will now return to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing with all relevant parties participating.
