Court Ruling: NDC Heads to Appeal, Insists Party Remains Registered

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has rejected a ruling by the Federal High Court in Lokoja setting aside an earlier judgment that compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the party, insisting that it remains a legally registered political party and will immediately challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.

In a statement signed by its National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, the party said the ruling, delivered on Friday by Justice Isah Dashen, followed an application filed by an unregistered association known as the Peace Movement Party (PMP).

The NDC recalled that in December 2025, it approached the Federal High Court after INEC refused to register it as a political party. According to the party, the court upheld its constitutional right to freedom of association and ordered INEC to register it, a directive the electoral commission subsequently complied with.

Since its registration, the NDC said it has carried out political activities nationwide, including membership registration, congresses from ward to national levels, national conventions and primary elections in line with INEC’s timetable. It added that it had also participated in recent bye-elections in Nasarawa and Enugu states and had nominated candidates for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governorship, presidential and vice-presidential elections.

The party argued that the Peace Movement Party is neither a registered political party nor an association participating in the current registration exercise. It said the group merely claimed that it had sought registration in 2015 using the victory sign as its symbol but was denied.

According to the NDC, the application before the court was a motion rather than a substantive suit or an appeal and sought to set aside the court’s earlier judgment.

The party maintained that the Federal High Court had become functus officio after delivering its final judgment in the case and therefore lacked jurisdiction to revisit the matter. It also argued that issues relating to the use of its symbol and colours had already been addressed in the earlier judgment, which was never appealed.

While confirming that the court set aside its December 2025 judgment, the NDC stressed that no order was made directing its deregistration.

“We have instructed our team of lawyers to immediately proceed to the Court of Appeal to challenge the jurisdiction and propriety of His Lordship’s order,” the statement said.

The party assured its members, supporters and candidates that its platform remains intact and that all nominations already conducted remain valid pending the outcome of the appeal.

The NDC also accused unnamed interests of attempting to use the judiciary to shrink Nigeria’s democratic space and stifle opposition voices ahead of the 2027 general elections.

It argued that if the Peace Movement Party believed it was affected by the original judgment, its proper legal remedy was to file an appeal within the prescribed period rather than seek to overturn the judgment through a motion. The party described the application as “an outright abuse of court process.”

The NDC expressed confidence that the Court of Appeal would overturn the ruling and reaffirm its legal status, while thanking Nigerians, its members and supporters for their continued confidence in the party.