A Federal High Court in Lokoja has vacated its previous ruling compelling INEC to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party, ordering that the matter be heard afresh.
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, effectively reversing all actions taken pursuant to that decision.
The ruling marks a significant legal shift in the case after the court found that the earlier judgment could not stand because all parties with a direct interest in the matter had not been heard before the decision was delivered.
Justice Isah Dashen held that the previous judgment, delivered on December 10, 2025, was constitutionally defective due to the failure to join all necessary parties in the proceedings before granting the order compelling INEC to register the NDC.
The court held that the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which challenged the earlier judgment and claimed an interest in the dispute, ought to have been made a party to the original suit before any substantive decision was reached.
As a result, the court restored the status quo that existed before the December 2025 judgment and directed that the case should begin afresh with all relevant parties—including INEC, the Peace Movement Party and the Nigeria Democratic Congress—properly joined in the proceedings.
The decision effectively nullifies every action taken on the strength of the earlier judgment while reopening the legal process for a fresh determination of the dispute.