The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is now expected to remove the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) from its register of recognised political parties following the emergence of the Certified True Copy of the Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of the party. Justice Isa H. Dashen at the Lokoja Judicial Division ordered INEC to deregister NDC ahead of the 2027 elections.
Court Ruling Nullifies Previous Judgment
As reported by Vanguard, the court ruling nullified the prior judgment because it affected the legal rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP). The PMP claimed ownership of the logo used by the NDC but was never joined as a party to the original lawsuit. The Certified True Copy partially read: “Accordingly, I hold that the Applicant has established exceptional circumstances recognised by law warranting the exercise of this Court’s inherent jurisdiction. I further hold that the judgment delivered on 10 December 2025 was entered in proceedings conducted without the participation of a necessary party whose legal interests were affected.”
Details of the Ruling
The application of the Party Affected/Applicant succeeds and is hereby granted. The judgment delivered by this Court on 10 December 2025 in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025 is hereby set aside. Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025 shall revert to the stage it occupied immediately before the delivery of the judgment set aside herein. The parties shall be at liberty to take all necessary and permissible procedural steps under the Rules of this Court for the effectual determination of the substantive dispute. No order as to costs. This shall be the Ruling of this Honourable Court.
INEC’s Next Steps
Recall that INEC planned to deregister the NDC following a court ruling before the 2027 elections. Justice Dashen overturned the previous ruling, impacting NDC's status as a political party. The INEC Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission awaits the Certified True Copy of the recent judgment to proceed with its next line of action.
Political Reactions and Meetings
Meanwhile, the NDC National leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, met behind closed doors with the party’s vice presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in Abuja. Dickson said he and Kwankwaso discussed issues of mutual interest concerning our party. According to Dickson, they resolved to stand and fight together for multi-party democracy. The former Bayelsa state governor said he briefed Kwankwaso on the measures the party is taking following the court ruling.
