The attention of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has been drawn to a ruling delivered this morning by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, presided over by Honourable Justice Isah Dashen, on an application filed by an unregistered association known as the Peace Movement Party (PMP).
The public will recall that in December 2025, the NDC, then an association, approached the Federal High Court after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to register it as a political party. The court upheld our constitutional right to freedom of association and ordered INEC to register the NDC, a directive that INEC duly complied with.
Following our registration, the NDC has actively participated in Nigeria’s democratic process. We have registered members nationwide, conducted congresses from the ward to the national level, held a national convention, and successfully concluded primaries for all elective offices in line with INEC’s timetable.
The party also fielded candidates and participated fully in the recently concluded bye-elections in Nasarawa and Enugu States. Candidates have equally been nominated for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship, Presidential, and Vice-Presidential elections, and preparations are underway to formally submit their names to INEC in accordance with the electoral timetable.
The association that initiated the present application is unknown to us. The Peace Movement Party is neither a registered political party nor an association currently seeking registration under the ongoing registration exercise. Its application was based on a claim that it had sought registration in 2015 using the “Victory” symbol and was denied.
It is important to note that this was merely a motion and not a substantive suit or an appeal. The Federal High Court had already delivered a final judgment in our case against INEC and had become functus officio. The court had also previously addressed and resolved issues relating to the use of symbols and colours, ruling against INEC on those matters. No appeal was filed against that judgment.
We are therefore surprised that the court held that the applicant had the locus standi to challenge the earlier judgment and that it possessed the jurisdiction to set aside its own final decision.
Although the court reportedly set aside its December 2025 judgment, it made no order directing the deregistration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
Nevertheless, we are dissatisfied with today’s ruling and have instructed our legal team to immediately approach the Court of Appeal to challenge both the jurisdiction of the trial court and the propriety of the order.
We wish to reassure our members, candidates, supporters, and the Nigerian public that the NDC remains on course. The party has not been deregistered. All nominations already conducted remain valid, and we are confident that the Court of Appeal will uphold justice.
The NDC condemns every attempt to shrink Nigeria’s democratic space and suppress opposition voices. Nigerians deserve a vibrant multiparty democracy where diverse political platforms are free to participate in the 2027 general elections, a process that is already well underway.
It is too late for anyone to attempt to derail or narrow Nigeria’s democratic space through judicial manoeuvres. If the Peace Movement Party genuinely believed it was affected by the earlier judgment, its lawful remedy was to file an appeal within the prescribed time. That opportunity has long expired, making any such appeal statute-barred.
Attempting to overturn a final judgment through a motion rather than an appeal is not only unprecedented but also constitutes a clear abuse of court process.
We appreciate Nigerians for their continued support and thank all our candidates, members, and supporters for their confidence in the NDC. We remain resolute in our commitment to democracy and are confident that justice will ultimately prevail.
Signed:
Sen. Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe
National Chairman
Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)
