A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, has nullified its earlier judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
Delivering the ruling on Friday, Justice Isah Dashen held that the previous decision could not stand because not all parties with an interest in the matter were given an opportunity to be heard before judgment was delivered.
The court upheld an application filed by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), agreeing that the party was a necessary party in the case and that excluding it from the proceedings made the earlier judgment constitutionally defective.
Justice Dashen ruled that the omission rendered the entire process invalid and ordered that the status of all parties be restored to what it was before the December 10, 2025 judgment.
He also noted that some material facts had been withheld during the earlier proceedings, which further justified setting aside the judgment.
As a result, the court directed that the substantive suit should begin afresh, with INEC, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Peace Movement Party (PMP) all participating in the case.
Speaking after the ruling, counsel to the applicant, Chikezie Ekeocha, explained that the PMP approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration was based on a logo the party had earlier submitted to INEC before the suit commenced.
According to him, the court agreed that the applicant’s rights had been affected and consequently vacated the previous judgment.
“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,” he said.
Ekeocha added that the ruling effectively reverses every action taken by INEC pursuant to the now-vacated judgment.
“The recognition of the NDC, 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registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgment must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” he stated.
He, however, clarified that the court has not determined the substantive issues in the case, stressing that the matter will now proceed to a fresh hearing with all affected parties before a new judgment is delivered.
