Obi Criticizes Court Order as Bizarre; NDC to File Appeal

By Clifford Ndujihe, Henry Umoru, Omeiza Ajayi, Boluwaji Obahopo, Juliet Umeh & Gift Chapi Odekina

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has rejected a Federal High Court judgment in Lokoja, Kogi State, that nullified a prior order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the party while legal matters were pending.

The party announced it will appeal to the Court of Appeal and assured Nigerians that the NDC will appear on the ballot for the 2027 presidential and general elections.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Friday, NDC National Chairman Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe criticised the court’s decision, affirming that the party remains legally recognised and will challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.

He said the court’s latest decision did not order the party’s deregistration and therefore does not affect its status as a registered political party.

Federal High Court order

A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja set aside its earlier judgment that had directed INEC to register the NDC as a political party, effectively nullifying all actions taken under that ruling.

Justice Isah Dashen, who delivered the ruling, held that the court’s December 10, 2025 judgment had adversely affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was not joined as a party in the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo used to obtain the judgment.

PMP counsel Mr C. S. Ekeocha told journalists that the party approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had previously submitted to INEC before the suit commenced.

According to Ekeocha, the court agreed that the applicant’s rights had been affected and consequently vacated the 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 the issues in dispute are effectually and completely determined,” he said.

He explained that the implication of the ruling is that every action taken by INEC in compliance with the now-vacated judgment stands reversed.

“The recognition of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, 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registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgment must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” Ekeocha stated.

He clarified that the substantive case remains before the court and has not been decided.

“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, insisting that the ruling specifically directed a 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 to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing.

INEC keeps mum

Meanwhile, INEC is set to delist the NDC from its register of political parties and restore the position it held before a now-vacated court order compelled it to recognise the party, following a Federal High Court ruling that nullified the NDC’s registration.

INEC, which had originally rejected the NDC’s letter of intent to be registered as a political party before a December 2025 court judgment overruled that decision, said on Friday it had applied for the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the latest ruling and would act accordingly upon receipt.

“We have applied for the Certified True Copy of the judgment. Until we receive it we cannot be in a position to comment on it. However, the position that existed before the December 20, 2025 judgment was that INEC rejected NDC’s letter of intent to be registered as a party,” INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information Mohammed Kudu Haruna told Vanguard.

The ruling, delivered on Friday by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, set aside the court’s earlier December 10, 2025 judgment that had directed INEC to register the NDC as a political party, effectively restoring the Commission’s original stance and nullifying every action taken pursuant to that order.

The court found that the earlier judgment had adversely affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was not joined as a party in the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo the NDC relied upon to obtain its registration.

PMP counsel Barrister C. S. Ekeocha told journalists after the ruling that the implications for the NDC were far-reaching and immediate.

“The recognition of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, 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.

Ekeocha dismissed suggestions that the court had merely ordered parties to maintain the status quo, insisting that the ruling went further by specifically directing a restoration of the position that existed before the December 10, 2025 judgment — the very position in which INEC had rejected the NDC’s registration bid outright.

With the substantive case now returning to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing and all necessary parties to be joined, INEC finds itself legally restored to the position it originally defended — that the NDC did not meet the threshold for registration as a political party in Nigeria.

NDC reacts

Responding, Cleopas Zuwoghe, flanked by other members of the National Working Committee (NWC), said the party approached the Federal High Court in December 2025 after INEC declined to register it. He recalled that the court upheld its constitutional right to freedom of association and ordered the electoral commission to register the party, which it subsequently did.

The party stated that following its registration by INEC, it had actively participated in the nation’s political process, including membership registration, ward, local government, state and national congresses, conventions and primary elections conducted in line with INEC’s timetable.

The NDC argued that the Peace Movement Party is neither a registered political party nor an association currently seeking registration under INEC’s ongoing registration exercise. It also maintained that the Federal High Court had become functus officio after delivering its final judgment and had already resolved issues relating to the use of the party’s symbol and colours.

The party further maintained that no appeal was filed against the December 2025 judgment and questioned the jurisdiction of the court to revisit its earlier decision through what it described as a mere motion.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the ruling, the NDC said it had instructed its legal team to immediately file an appeal challenging both the jurisdiction of the court and the propriety of the latest order.

“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 is already underway.”

“It is too late for anyone to attempt to use the judiciary to derail or narrow Nigeria’s multi‑party democratic space. If the said association (Peace Movement Party) were a party affected by the judgment on our initial suit, the only option open to it was to appeal the verdict, an option it did not take