Breaking: Peter Obi faces setback as Court voids NDC registration

A Federal High Court 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, ordering that the case be heard afresh after ruling that an interested party was denied a fair hearing.

The decision, delivered on Friday by Justice Isah Dashen, effectively reverses the court’s December 10, 2025 judgment, which had compelled INEC to register the NDC, the political platform under which former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi is expected to contest future elections.

Justice Dashen held that the earlier judgment adversely affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was not joined in the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo the NDC submitted to INEC during its registration process.

The court ruled that the omission amounted to a breach of the constitutional right to fair hearing and directed all parties to return to the positions they occupied before the December 2025 judgment.

It further ordered the claimants to join all necessary parties in the suit to enable the court fully and fairly determine the issues surrounding the NDC’s registration.

Counsel to the Peace Movement Party, C.S. Ekeocha, welcomed the ruling, explaining that his client approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration process relied on a logo which the PMP had earlier submitted to INEC before the commencement of the suit.

According to Ekeocha, the failure to include the Peace Movement Party in the original proceedings meant that the court’s decision directly affected the party’s interests without giving it an opportunity to be heard.

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“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.

The lawyer added that every action taken by INEC pursuant to the earlier judgment has now been suspended pending the final determination of the substantive suit.

He explained that the recognition of the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in INEC’s official records and any appearance on ballot papers flowing from the earlier judgment must be withdrawn until the court reaches a fresh decision.

“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 stressed that Friday’s ruling did not determine the substantive dispute over the NDC’s registration but merely reopened the matter to ensure that all parties whose interests may be affected are properly represented 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 added.

The ruling means that the legal battle over the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress has been returned to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing, where all relevant parties are expected to participate.

The outcome of the renewed proceedings will determine whether the earlier order directing INEC to register the NDC will be reaffirmed, varied or ultimately vacated after all interested parties have been heard.

The latest decision comes only days after another Federal High Court judgment ordered INEC to withdraw recognition from five opposition political parties over their alleged failure to satisfy constitutional requirements.

The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

In that case, the court held that the parties failed to meet the constitutional threshold for continued registration and participation in future elections.

The plaintiffs argued that the affected parties performed poorly during the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections, failing to secure sufficient electoral victories to justify their continued recognition.

They maintained that allowing the parties to remain registered undermined the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system.

INEC, however, opposed the suit, insisting that the parties could not be deregistered because they had won seats in state assemblies and the National Assembly during previous elections.