ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja has nullified its earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, as a political party, ordering that all actions taken pursuant to the ruling be reversed pending a fresh hearing.
Justice Isah Dashen, who delivered the ruling on Friday, held that the court’s judgment of December 10, 2025, adversely affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party, PMP, which claimed ownership of the logo relied upon in securing the registration but was not joined as a party in the original suit.
The ruling effectively restores all parties to the position they occupied before the December 2025 judgment and requires the claimants to include all necessary parties before the substantive case can proceed.
Speaking to journalists after the judgment, counsel to the applicant, the Peace Movement Party, C. S. Ekeocha, said the party approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration was founded on a logo it had previously submitted to INEC before the commencement of the suit.
According to him, the court agreed that the party’s interests were affected by the earlier judgment and consequently vacated it.
“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 said.
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He explained that the implication of the ruling is that every action taken by INEC in compliance with the now-vacated judgment has automatically been 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registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgment must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” he stated.
Ekeocha, however, clarified that the court has not decided the substantive case over the registration of the political party.
“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 said.
He also dismissed suggestions that the court merely ordered parties to maintain the status quo, insisting that the ruling expressly restored the legal position that existed before the December 10, 2025 judgment.
The latest ruling represents a significant legal setback for the Nigeria Democratic Congress, whose registration by INEC was anchored on the earlier court order. The substantive suit will now proceed afresh after all parties with competing interests are joined, with the court expected to determine the dispute after hearing all sides.