NDC Heads To Appeal Court After Lokoja Court Voids Registration

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has vowed to challenge a ruling of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, which set aside its earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the party.

Justice Isah Dashen, in a ruling delivered on Friday, vacated the court’s December 10, 2025 judgment after holding that the decision adversely affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), an association that claimed ownership of the logo used by the NDC but was not joined as a party in the original suit.

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Counsel to the applicant, C.S. Ekeocha, said the PMP approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration was based on a logo the association had previously submitted to INEC before the commencement of the suit.

According to him, the court agreed that the applicant’s rights had been affected and consequently ordered all parties to return to the position they occupied before the December 10, 2025 judgment.

“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,” Ekeocha told journalists.

He explained that the implication of the ruling is that every action taken by INEC pursuant to the earlier judgment stands reversed.

“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registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgment must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” he said.

Ekeocha, however, clarified that the substantive suit remains pending before the court.

“The matter has not been concluded. The court merely set aside its previous judgment and directed that the party whose interests were affected be joined so that all sides can be heard before a fresh decision is reached,” he added.

He also dismissed suggestions that the court merely ordered parties to maintain the status quo, insisting that the ruling specifically restored the position that existed before the December 10, 2025 judgment.

Reacting to the ruling, the National Chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, said the party was dissatisfied with the decision and had instructed its legal team to immediately approach the Court of Appeal.

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In a statement issued shortly after the ruling, Zuwoghe argued that the Federal High Court had already delivered a final judgment in the matter and had become functus officio, contending that the Peace Movement Party, which is not a registered political party, lacked the legal standing to seek to overturn the judgment through a motion.

He maintained that following the December 2025 judgment, INEC duly registered the NDC, after which the party commenced nationwide political activities, including membership registration, congresses from ward to national levels, national conventions and party primaries in line with INEC’s timetable.

According to him, the NDC also participated in the recent bye-elections in Nasarawa and Enugu States and has already nominated candidates for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship, Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Zuwoghe stressed that the court’s latest ruling did not expressly order the deregistration of the NDC, insisting that the party remains legally in existence while the appeal process is pursued.

“We assure the general public, particularly our candidates at all levels, that our party is on course. The NDC has not been deregistered, and we are challenging today’s order at the Court of Appeal as soon as possible. We have no doubt that justice will be done,” he stated.

The NDC further accused unnamed interests of attempting to shrink Nigeria’s democratic space by using the judiciary to stifle opposition voices.

The party argued that if the Peace Movement Party believed it was affected by the original judgment, its proper remedy was to appeal the decision within the time allowed by law rather than seek to set it aside through a motion.

Describing the latest application as “an abuse of court process,” the NDC expressed confidence that the Court of Appeal would overturn the ruling and reaffirm its legal status.

The development has introduced fresh uncertainty over the NDC’s participation in preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the appellate court now expected to determine the legality of the Federal High Court’s decision to vacate its earlier judgment.