The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has reacted to a ruling by the Federal High Court in Lokoja that set aside its earlier order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party.
According to NewsRegion, the court ruled that its December 10, 2025 judgment had adversely affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), even though the party did not participate in the suit.
In response to the most recent verdict, the party promised to file an appeal.
Providing further details, National Publicity Secretary of NDC, Osa Director, told Leadership that the party would obtain and study the full text of the judgment before taking further legal action.
He said, “We are waiting to see the text of the judgment, study it and exercise our right to appeal.”
The Court Judgement
The judge ordered that the matter be tried again with the pertinent parties properly joined after ruling that all parties with vested interests should have been permitted to participate in the case.
The ruling effectively restored the status quo that existed before the earlier judgment pending the determination of the substantive suit.
This development has stirred uncertainty and a fresh chapter in the legal battle over the registration of the NDC, with the party insisting that the judicial process is far from concluded.
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Backstory…
On Friday June 26, Justice Isah Dashen ruled that the earlier judgment had infringed on the rights of the Peace Movement Party because the court did not join the party in the original suit, despite its claim that it owned the logo the NDC used.
Counsel to the Peace Movement Party, C.S. Ekeocha, explained that the party approached the court after discovering that the NDC had based its registration application on a logo the Peace Movement Party had already submitted to INEC before the legal proceedings commenced.
According to him, “The court has ordered all parties to return to the position they occupied before the judgment of December 10, 2025, and directed the claimants to join all necessary parties to ensure the issues in dispute are effectually and completely determined.”
He also stressed that the main case still remains before the court.
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