A Federal High Court in Lokoja has vacated its earlier judgment ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
On Friday, Justice Isah Dashen ruled that the earlier judgment had violated the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was not part of the case but had claimed ownership of the logo used by the NDC.
The Peace Movement Party went to court after discovering that the NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had submitted to INEC before the case began, said C.S. Ekeocha, a lawyer to the party.
“By order of court, the parties are to revert to the position they were in before the judgment of December 10, 2025 and the court directed that the claimants join all necessary parties in order for the issues in dispute to be effectually and completely determined,” he said.
The ruling means all actions taken by INEC based on the earlier judgment have been reversed, Ekeocha said.
“The recognition of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgment must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” he said.
He emphasized that the main case is still pending before the court.
That is not the end of the matter. “The court just set aside its earlier judgment and ordered that the party whose interest was affected be joined so that all sides can be heard before a fresh decision is reached,” Ekeocha said.
The effect of the ruling is that the dispute over the registration of the lNDC will be heard de novo at the Federal High Court with all relevant parties.
