Court Releases Full Judgment Setting Aside NDC Registration

The Certified True Copy of the Federal High Court ruling nullifying the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has surfaced, revealing the legal reasoning behind the decision delivered in Lokoja by Justice Isa H. Dashen.

The judgment vacated the court’s earlier December 2025 order which compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party.

Justice Dashen ruled that the earlier proceedings were flawed because they failed to include the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which claimed prior interest in the disputed two-finger victory logo used by the NDC.

According to the court, the omission denied the PMP fair hearing since the outcome of the case directly affected its interests.

The ruling followed an application filed by Barrister Emmanuel Uzowuru, Protem National Legal Adviser of the PMP, who asked the court to set aside the earlier judgment.

In the Certified True Copy, the court stated that the PMP had begun its own registration process with INEC and submitted the same logo before the NDC later presented it for registration.

The judgment further noted that INEC was aware of the competing claims to the logo but the court was not informed during the original proceedings.

“The issue is whether the Court was invited to make orders whose direct legal consequence would affect the competing and pre-existing interest of a person who was not before the Court,” Justice Dashen stated.

The judge held that the failure to join the PMP in the suit rendered the proceedings constitutionally defective.

“The failure to join and hear the Applicant before making orders whose implementation was capable of affecting those interests occasioned a denial of fair hearing,” the ruling read.

Justice Dashen also rejected claims that the court was reviewing its own judgment on appeal, explaining that the application was based on alleged violations of fair hearing rather than disagreement with the merits of the original decision.

“Once a breach of fair hearing is established, the resultant proceedings are rendered a nullity irrespective of the apparent correctness of the decision reached therein,” the court ruled.

The court subsequently granted the application filed by the PMP and vacated the earlier judgment that ordered INEC to register the NDC.

“The application of the Party Affected/Applicant succeeds and is hereby granted. The judgment delivered by this Court on 10th December 2025… is hereby set aside,” the court declared.

The ruling means INEC is expected to suspend recognition of the NDC until all legal issues surrounding the matter are fully resolved.

The court also ordered that the case return to the stage it was before the December 2025 judgment and allowed all parties to continue with the substantive proceedings.

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