A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja has set aside its earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
Justice Isah Dashen delivered the ruling on Friday, holding that the court's December 10, 2025 judgment 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 by the NDC in securing the judgment.
Counsel to the applicant, C.S. Ekeocha, told journalists that the Peace Movement Party approached the court after discovering that the NDC's registration was based on a logo it had previously submitted to INEC before the case was filed.
According to Ekeocha, the court agreed that the party's rights were affected and consequently vacated its earlier judgment.
He said the court directed all parties to return to the position they occupied before the December 10, 2025 judgment and ordered the claimants to join all necessary parties to enable the court fully determine the dispute.
Ekeocha explained that the ruling reverses every action taken by INEC in compliance with the earlier judgment, including the recognition of the NDC, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in the commission's records and any appearance on ballot papers arising from the judgment.
He, however, clarified that the substantive suit remains pending before the court.
"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.
The ruling returns the dispute over the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing after all relevant parties have been joined.
