NDC rejects Kogi court verdict on INEC registration, vows appeal

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced its intention to challenge a Federal High Court ruling in Lokoja that nullified a previous judgment ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the party. The NDC maintains that it has not been deregistered and assures its members and candidates that its political activities will proceed without interruption.

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There was no order directing our deregistration. However, we are dissatisfied with the decision that has been made, and we have instructed our team of lawyers to immediately proceed to the Court of Appeal to challenge the jurisdiction and propriety of His Lordship’s order.

NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, expressed surprise at the ruling, questioning the jurisdiction of the court to set aside its earlier decision. He argued that the applicant, the Peace Movement Party, was neither a registered political party nor a participant in the current registration process. Cleopas stated that the trial court had become functus officio after delivering its final judgment and that any aggrieved party should have appealed the original decision rather than seeking to overturn it through a motion.

Cleopas vowed that the party's legal team would immediately proceed to the Court of Appeal to contest the order. He assured party faithful that their candidates remain unaffected by the ruling and that the NDC has not been deregistered. The party chairman condemned what he described as efforts by "unnamed forces" to shrink the democratic space and stifle opposition voices through the courts, emphasizing Nigerians' right to a full range of political alternatives for the 2027 general election.

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We assure the general public, and particularly our candidates at all levels, that our party is on course. The NDC has not been deregistered, and we are challenging today’s order at the Court of Appeal as soon as possible. We have no doubt that justice will be done.

The ruling by Justice Isah Dashen set aside a December 10, 2025 judgment that had compelled INEC to register the NDC. The judge cited that the initial judgment adversely affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party, which claimed ownership of a logo used in obtaining the earlier judgment but was not made a party to the suit.

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We condemn efforts by those who seek to shrink the democratic space and stifle opposition voices and alternatives. Nigerians have a right to a full range of opinions, ideas, and alternatives, and political platforms and candidates should be allowed to participate in the 2027 general election process, which has already gone midway.