BREAKING: Court Nullifies NDC Registration, Orders Fresh Hearing

A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, has nullified the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
In a ruling delivered on Friday, the court set aside its earlier judgment that had directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party.
The presiding judge, Justice Isah Dashen, held that all parties with a legal interest in the matter must be heard before any substantive decision can be made.
The court upheld an application filed by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), ruling that the party was a necessary party to the suit and ought to have been joined before the earlier judgment was delivered.
Justice Dashen held that the previous judgment was constitutionally defective because it was delivered without affording all interested parties the opportunity to be heard.
According to him, the failure to join the PMP rendered the entire proceedings fundamentally flawed and, consequently, null and void.
The judge further ordered that the status quo be restored to what it was before the judgment of December 10, 2025, pending the determination of the substantive suit.
He also observed that certain material facts were suppressed during the earlier proceedings, a development he said justified the court’s decision to vacate its previous judgment.
Consequently, the court directed that the substantive suit should commence afresh, with INEC, the Peace Movement Party (PMP), and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) joined as parties to the case.
Speaking to journalists 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 that the PMP had earlier submitted to INEC before the commencement of the original suit.
According to Ekeocha, the court agreed that the applicant’s rights had been adversely affected and, on that basis, vacated its earlier 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 that the issues in dispute are effectually and completely determined,” he said.
Ekeocha stated that the implication of the ruling is that every action taken by INEC pursuant to the now-vacated judgment stands reversed.
“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 said.
He, however, clarified that the substantive case remains before the court and has yet to be determined.
“The matter has not been concluded. The court merely set aside its previous judgment and directed that the party whose interests were affected be joined so that all sides can be heard before a fresh decision is reached.”he said.
Ekeocha also dismissed suggestions that the court merely ordered parties to maintain the status quo. He maintained that the ruling specifically directed the restoration of the position that existed before the December 10, 2025, judgment.
The ruling effectively returns the dispute over the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing, with all relevant parties expected to participate before the court reaches a new determination on the matter.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).