A Federal High Court judge Isa Dashen Friday in Lokoja set aside its earlier judgment directing the Nigeria’s electoral umpire, the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party, a decision that would trigger more confusion than clarity just few months to a general election.
The NDC is the political party of popular opposition figure Mr. Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate, widely believed by many as the winner of the 2023 presidential election when he ran on the Labour Party platform.
The judgement, which comes amid depeening suspicion that the ruling All Progressives Congress of President Bola Tinubu is striving to make sure that Mr. Obi, backed by the youths and the powerful Obidient Movement, will not be on the ballot in 2027.
Justice Isah Dashen, who delivered the reckless ruling that could trigger political turmoil in the West African country, held that the court’s December 10, 2025 judgment 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 relied upon in obtaining the judgment.
Counsel to the applicant (PMP), C. S. Ekeocha, later told journalists that the PMP approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had previously submitted to INEC before the commencement of the suit.
As a court of public policy, many legal analysts are scratching their heads if such flimsy thing as logo infringement, if at all, which could be settled by other copyrights remedies, should ground such a drastic decision close to the presidential election.
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registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgment must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” Ekeocha stated.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, however, 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.”
Meanwhile, the NDC has rejected the ruling in a statement on Friday, insisting it remains registered and will immediately challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.
The party expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling delivered by Justice Isah Dashen, describing the decision as surprising and legally questionable.
According to the NDC, the PMP was neither a registered political party nor an association currently participating in the ongoing political process.
“The association that filed the complaint is unknown to us. The Peace Movement Party (PMP) is not a registered political party in Nigeria,” the party stated.