A Federal High Court in Lokoja has withdrawn its previous order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
In a decision made on Friday, Judge Isah Dashen held that the previous judgment was handed down on December 10 2025, could not survive because it interfered with the interests of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was not involved in the case.
The PMP contested the decision after claiming that the logo used by the NDC to secure its registration belonged to the party and had already been submitted to INEC before the suit commenced.
The court annuls the previous decision
Speaking to journalists after the judgment, PMP’s lawyer, CS Ekeocha, said the court agreed that his client’s rights may have been compromised and therefore set aside the earlier judgment.
He explained that the court ordered all parties to return to the position they were in before the December 2025 decision and directed prosecutors to include all relevant parties in the litigation before the case could proceed.
According to him, the implication is that every step taken by INEC as a result of the previous ruling is now undone.
This includes recognizing the NDC as a political party, issuing a certificate of registration and including it in the official records of the electoral body and all processes related to voting.
The case has yet to be closed
Ekeocha emphasized that the legal battle is still ongoing and that the court has not made a final decision on the substantive issues before it.
He said the latest ruling simply gives all affected parties a chance to present their cases before the court makes a new decision.
The lawyer also rejected suggestions that the court merely ordered the parties to maintain the status quo, insisting that the ruling specifically returned the situation to the state it was in before the December 10, 2025 ruling.
