LOKOJA, KOGI STATE – A Federal High Court in Lokoja has set aside its earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
In a ruling delivered on Friday, June 26, 2026, Justice Isah Dashen held that the court’s earlier judgment of December 10, 2025, was constitutionally defective because it was delivered without hearing all necessary parties whose interests were directly affected by the case.
The court upheld an application filed by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), ruling that the party was a necessary party to the proceedings and should have been joined before the judgment was delivered.
Justice Dashen held that the failure to include the PMP in the suit violated its constitutional right to a fair hearing, rendering the previous proceedings and judgment null and void.
“The earlier judgment adversely affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party, which was not joined as a party despite claiming ownership of the logo used in obtaining the registration order,” the judge stated.
Consequently, the court ordered that the status quo be restored to what it was before the December 2025 judgment and directed that the substantive suit be heard afresh with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Peace Movement Party (PMP), and the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) joined as parties.
Speaking to journalists after the ruling, counsel to the PMP, Chikezie Ekeocha, said his client approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration process was allegedly based on a logo the PMP had previously submitted to INEC before the original suit was instituted.
The ruling effectively returns the dispute over the NDC’s registration to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing, where all relevant parties will have the opportunity to present their cases before a final determination is made.
Reacting to the decision, the NDC rejected the ruling and announced its intention to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.
The case is expected to continue as the appellate process and fresh proceedings unfold.
Source: NAN
