Federal High Court Reverses Order Compelling INEC to Register NDC, Orders Fresh Hearing

Hope of candidates seeking to contest the 2027 general elections on the ticket of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, (NDC), seems uncertain as a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, has set aside its earlier judgment of December 10, 2025, which  compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the party.

Delivering a ruling on Friday, in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025, Justice Isah Dashen held that all relevant parties must be heard before any substantive decision can be made in the matter.

The court upheld the application filed by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), ruling that the party is a necessary party to the suit.

Justice Dashen noted that counsel to the PMP successfully demonstrated the party’s legal interest, which warranted its inclusion in the proceedings.

According to the Judge, the earlier judgment was constitutionally defective as it was delivered without hearing from all interested parties.

He declared that such an omission rendered the entire process null and void.

Justice Dashen further ruled that the status quo be restored to what it was before the December 2025 judgment, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

He also observed that certain material facts were suppressed in the earlier proceedings, which justified the decision to set aside the judgment.

Consequently, the Court ordered that the substantive suit commence afresh, with INEC, the Peace Movement Party (PMP), and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as parties to the case.

Counsel to the applicant, C.S. Ekeocha, told journalists that the Peace Movement Party approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had previously submitted to INEC before the commencement of the suit.