A Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, has set aside its earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
Justice Isah Dashen delivered the ruling on Friday, June 26, 2026, holding that the court’s original judgment of December 10, 2025, was constitutionally defective because it was delivered without hearing all relevant parties.
Specifically, the judge found that the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which claimed ownership of the logo the NDC used to secure its registration, was not joined as a party in the original suit.
The judge ruled that all parties must return to the position they occupied before the December 2025 judgment, and ordered that the case be heard afresh with all necessary parties included.
Counsel to the PMP, C.S. Ekeocha, said the ruling reverses all actions taken by INEC under the earlier judgment, including the NDC’s certificate of registration and its inclusion in INEC’s official records.
The NDC rejected the verdict. Its National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, said the party had not been deregistered and directed its lawyers to file an immediate appeal at the Court of Appeal.
The ruling threatens the 2027 presidential ambitions of Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, both of whom are on the NDC ticket.
Speaking at Madonna University in Anambra State hours after the verdict, Obi alleged that the Federal Government was working to keep him off the ballot. “They cannot stop me. They will fail,” he said.
The NDC’s media office described the ruling as a temporary setback and urged supporters to remain calm pending the appeal.
Administrator and Writer
