NDC Moves To Appeal After Court Voids INEC Registration Order

June 26 (THEWILL) — The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has vowed to appeal a Federal High Court ruling that set aside an earlier judgment compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register it as a political party, insisting that the decision does not amount to its deregistration.
The party’s reaction followed Friday’s ruling by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, which nullified the court’s December 10, 2025, judgement that had ordered INEC to register the NDC.
Justice Dashen held that the earlier judgment was constitutionally defective because it was delivered without hearing all parties whose interests were affected by the case. The court ruled that the Peace Movement Party (PMP) was a necessary party to the proceedings and ordered that the substantive suit begin afresh with INEC, the PMP and the NDC joined as parties.
The court also restored the status quo that existed before the December 2025 judgement pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Responding to the development, the NDC maintained that it remains a legally recognised political party, arguing that the court did not issue any order directing INEC to remove it from the register of political parties.
In a statement signed by its National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, the party disclosed that it had instructed its legal team to immediately challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.
“The NDC has not been deregistered. There was no order to that effect. We have instructed our lawyers to file an appeal immediately, and we are confident that justice will prevail”, the statement read.
The party recalled that it secured the December 2025 judgment after successfully challenging INEC’s refusal to register it, with the court affirming its constitutional right to freedom of association and directing the electoral commission to grant it registration.
According to the NDC, it has since functioned as a duly recognised political party, carrying out membership registration, congresses at various levels, national conventions and primary elections in compliance with INEC guidelines.
It also stated that it participated in recent by-elections in Nasarawa and Enugu states and had already nominated candidates for various elective positions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Questioning the legal basis for reopening a matter on which a final judgment had already been delivered, the party argued that the Federal High Court had become functus officio after issuing its earlier decision and therefore lacked jurisdiction to revisit the substantive issues.
It further maintained that any party dissatisfied with the December 2025 judgment ought to have appealed the decision rather than seek to overturn it through an application before the same court.
While reaffirming its confidence in the judicial process, the NDC accused unnamed interests of attempting to use the courts to undermine political competition and restrict Nigeria’s democratic space ahead of the next general election.
The party assured its members and supporters nationwide that its organisational structures remain intact and that all political activities undertaken since its registration, including the nomination of candidates for future elections, remain valid.

Felix Ifijeh, THEWILL

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