By Monsurat Abisoye
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.
Delivering the ruling on Friday, Justice Isah Dashen held that the previous 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 previously submitted to INEC before the case commenced.
According to Ekeocha, 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 dispute is fully and effectively determined.
He explained that the ruling 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 final determination of the substantive suit.
Ekeocha stressed that the case has not been concluded, noting that the court merely set aside its earlier decision and directed that all affected parties be heard before a fresh judgment is delivered.
The ruling means the dispute over the registration of the NDC will return to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing involving all relevant parties.