By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S. | adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com
Editor, DDNews |
The Federal High Court in Lokoja has set aside its earlier judgment that compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
Justice Isah Dashen, in a ruling delivered on Friday in suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025, held that the December 10, 2025 judgment was constitutionally defective because it was delivered without hearing all necessary parties.
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The ruling followed an application by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which argued that it had sufficient legal interest in the matter and ought to have been joined as a party before the court gave its earlier decision.
Justice Dashen agreed with the PMP, stating that the omission of necessary parties rendered the entire proceedings null and void. He further noted that material facts were not fully disclosed during the initial hearing.
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Consequently, the judge ordered that the status quo be restored to what it was before the December 2025 judgment, pending the determination of the substantive suit.
The court also directed that the substantive matter should commence afresh, with INEC, the Peace Movement Party (PMP), and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) properly joined as parties to the suit.
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Recall that on February 5, 2026, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had publicly stated that only two out of several associations that applied for registration met the requirements for final assessment under the Electoral Act. However, the NDC was registered following the Federal High Court’s earlier order compelling INEC to do so.
The latest ruling represents a major setback for the NDC, which had positioned itself as a formidable opposition platform ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as its presidential ticket.
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Political observers believe the development could trigger fresh legal battles and further delay the NDC’s full integration into Nigeria’s political landscape.
The case has now been adjourned for hearing on the substantive matter with all necessary parties included.
DDNewsOnline – Lagos
By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S. (Beedee)
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