The NDC registration has been thrown into fresh uncertainty after a Federal High Court in Lokoja set aside its earlier judgment ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party.
The ruling is a major legal setback for the party linked to Peter Obi, but it does not mean the dispute is over. The court has ordered that the case should begin again, this time with all interested parties involved.
Justice Isah Dashen gave the ruling on Friday in Lokoja, Kogi State.
He said the court’s earlier decision was defective because all relevant parties were not heard before the judgment was delivered.
The earlier judgment, given on 10 December 2025, had directed INEC to register the NDC as a political party. INEC later acted on that judgment.
But the Peace Movement Party challenged the process and asked the court to set aside the earlier decision.
The PMP argued that it was a necessary party in the case and should have been heard before any decision was made.
The court agreed.
Why the court set aside the NDC registration ruling
Justice Dashen ruled that the failure to hear all interested parties affected the validity of the earlier judgment.
He said the omission made the process constitutionally defective and rendered the earlier decision null and void.
The judge also said some material facts were not disclosed during the earlier proceedings. Because of this, he ruled that the matter should return to the position it was in before the December 2025 judgment.
This means the legal basis used by INEC to register the NDC has now been set aside for the moment.
The court ordered that the main case should start afresh, with INEC, the PMP and the NDC all joined as parties.
In simple terms, the court is saying all sides must be heard before a final decision is made on whether the NDC should be registered as a political party.
The applicant’s lawyer, Chikezie Ekeocha, said the PMP went to court after discovering that the NDC registration was based on a logo the PMP had earlier submitted to INEC.
He said the court accepted that the rights of the PMP could be affected and therefore vacated the earlier judgment.
According to him, the effect of the ruling is that actions taken by INEC because of the earlier judgment should be reversed pending the final outcome of the case.
That could affect the recognition of the NDC, its certificate of registration, its appearance in INEC records and any ballot listing linked to that judgment.
However, Ekeocha also made it clear that the case itself has not been finally decided.
He said the court only set aside the previous judgment and ordered that all necessary parties should be joined so the dispute can be properly heard.
That distinction is important.
The ruling does not finally decide whether the NDC can or cannot be registered. It only removes the earlier judgment that forced INEC to recognise the party and sends the case back for a fresh hearing.
For Peter Obi and his supporters, the decision creates fresh uncertainty ahead of the 2027 election season.
It may also raise questions about how quickly INEC can act if the court process continues for a long time.
For now, the key point is that the NDC’s registration dispute has returned to court. INEC, the PMP and the NDC are now expected to take part in the fresh hearing before a new decision is made.
Anyone following the case should wait for the next court ruling or an official statement from INEC before concluding what the final position of the party will be.
SEO title
Court blow for Peter Obi-linked NDC
Meta description
A Federal High Court has set aside the judgment ordering INEC to register the NDC, throwing the party’s status into fresh uncertainty.
URL slug
court-blow-peter-obi-ndc-registration-inec
Three alternative clickable headlines
- Peter Obi-linked NDC hit by court ruling over INEC registration
- Court setback for NDC as registration dispute returns for fresh hearing
- NDC registration thrown into doubt after Lokoja court ruling
