The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) says it’s heading to the Court of Appeal after a Federal High Court in Lokoja set aside the judgment that had compelled INEC to register the party — but insists, despite the setback, that it remains a fully registered political party.
The ruling came from Justice Isah Dashen on Friday, following an application by a group called the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which claims it owns the logo NDC used to secure its registration. According to PMP’s lawyer, C.S. Ekeocha, his client only discovered the overlap after the fact — and argued that since PMP was never made a party to the original case, the judgment that registered NDC shouldn’t have been allowed to stand without PMP having a say.
The judge agreed, ruling that the December 2025 judgment was reached without giving PMP — a party whose interests were directly affected — a fair hearing. He ordered that things be restored to how they stood before that December judgment, and directed that PMP be formally joined so the matter can be reheard with everyone at the table.
NDC isn’t taking it quietly. In a statement signed by National Chairman Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, the party called the PMP “unknown” and “unregistered,” arguing it has no business trying to unwind a judgment through a mere motion rather than a proper appeal filed within the legal time limit. “To now try to upturn that verdict through the back door, via a motion, is not only unheard-of, but also illegal and an outright abuse of court process,” the party said.
NDC also pushed back on the idea that this means it’s been deregistered. The party says there was no such order, and that since its registration it has gone on to build out its structures — registering members, holding congresses and primaries, fielding candidates in the Nasarawa and Enugu bye-elections, and nominating candidates across the board for 2027, including for the presidency.
Beyond the legal technicalities, NDC framed the ruling as part of a bigger pattern, accusing unnamed actors of trying to use the courts to squeeze opposition parties out of contention ahead of 2027. It’s a charge that echoes a separate, recent fight: weeks earlier, a different Federal High Court order in Abuja had moved to deregister five other parties — ADC, APP, AA, ZLP, and Accord — before the Court of Appeal stepped in to halt that.
For now, the matter heads back to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing with PMP, INEC, and NDC all formally joined as parties — meaning the question of NDC’s registration, including the disputed logo, will be argued out again from scratch. Peter Obi’s campaign office has called the ruling a “temporary setback” and urged supporters to stay calm while NDC’s legal team works through the appeal.
