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Nigerian Court Overturns NDC Party Registration, Opposition Rejects Ruling
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

Nigerian Court Overturns NDC Party Registration, Opposition Rejects Ruling

From Vanguard · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • A Federal High Court in Lokoja has overturned its earlier ruling that led to the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
  • The court cited that the initial judgment affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was not included as a party in the suit.
  • The NDC has expressed dissatisfaction and plans to appeal the ruling, asserting its ongoing activities and upcoming participation in elections.

A Federal High Court in Lokoja has nullified its previous judgment that allowed for the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party. The court's decision, delivered by Justice Isah Dashen, stated that the December 10, 2025 ruling had negatively impacted the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was not a party to the original lawsuit despite claiming ownership of the logo used to secure the judgment.

The court has ordered all parties to revert to their positions before the December 10, 2025 ruling. It also directed that all necessary parties must be included before the substantive issues of the case are determined. This means that actions taken by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including the recognition and registration of the NDC, should be reversed pending the final determination of the suit.

The NDC, however, has declared its dissatisfaction with the ruling and announced its intention to appeal to the Court of Appeal. The party argued that the Peace Movement Party is neither a registered political party nor an association currently seeking registration. The NDC also questioned the Federal High Court's jurisdiction to revisit its earlier judgment, considering it functus officio after delivering its final decision.

Despite the setback, the NDC stated that the ruling did not order its deregistration. The party assured its members and candidates that it remains on course for upcoming elections, having already conducted membership registration, congresses, a national convention, and primaries for all elective offices. They have also participated in recent bye-elections and have candidates ready for submission to INEC. The NDC condemned what it described as efforts to restrict democratic space and suppress opposition voices ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi commented on the ruling, calling it "another setback for our democracy and the institutions upon which our future depend."

another setback for our democracy and the institutions upon which our future depend

— Peter ObiFormer Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi's reaction to the court ruling.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Vanguard in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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