The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has filed an appeal against a court ruling that reversed an earlier order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party. The appeal, filed at the Court of Appeal in Lokoja, Kogi State, seeks to overturn the Federal High Court's decision and includes a stay of execution of the ruling.
Background of the Case
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, on Friday, set aside its earlier judgement directing INEC to register the NDC as a political party. The ruling followed an application by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which sought to have the December 2025 judgement set aside because it was not joined in the suit. The judge, Isah Dashen, upheld the PMP application and ruled that all relevant parties must be heard before any substantive decision can be made in the matter.
Court Ruling and Its Implications
Judge Dashen declared that the omission of the PMP rendered the entire process null and void, and ruled that the status quo be restored to what it was before the December 2025 judgement, pending the determination of the substantive suit. This reversal effectively halted the NDC's registration, which had been previously ordered by the court.
NDC's Response and Appeal
In a post on his Facebook page on Monday night, the National Leader of the NDC, Seriake Dickson, announced the appeal. Mr Dickson, who is the NDC's candidate for Bayelsa West District, stated that the court process has been served on the INEC chairman and his team “to do what is right according to law and what is legally sensible.”
“Having filed and served our appeal and the accompanying applications, the ball is now in the court of the judiciary, and we expect the judiciary to do what is right under the law,” he stated.
Access to INEC Portal
Mr Dickson also confirmed that, following the appeal, INEC has granted the NDC access to upload the party's candidates to its portal. “We have been granted access to the (INEC) portal to upload our qualified candidates. My name and that of the presidential candidate (Peter Obi) have been uploaded to the INEC portal, while that of the vice presidential candidate will be done tomorrow (today) upon completion of the deposition. The process is also ongoing for other candidates,” he said.
Details of the Appeal
Mr Dickson did not provide details of the appeal, including the court in which it was filed. However, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the NDC filed the appeal at the Court of Appeal in Lokoja, Kogi State. It is unclear for now whether the Court of Appeal has set a hearing date for the appeal.
