Certified Court Judgment Reveals Legal Basis for NDC Registration Before Subsequent Reversal

The Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Federal High Court judgment has shed more light on the legal proceedings that initially compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Isa H. Dashen of the Federal High Court, Lokoja, in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025 on December 10, 2025, arose from a suit instituted by Barr. Takori Mohammed Sani, Barr. Ikenna Morgan Enekweizu, Hon. Abdulmumin Ohiare Abdulsalami and Pius Ugboja, who sued on behalf of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). The plaintiffs challenged INEC’s refusal to register the association despite its application and compliance with the relevant constitutional and statutory requirements.
After considering the arguments presented before it, the court held in favour of the applicants and directed INEC to register the NDC as a political party. The judgment was celebrated by members of the association as a major breakthrough in their quest to participate in Nigeria’s democratic process.
However, the legal victory proved short-lived. On June 26, 2026, the same Federal High Court set aside its earlier judgment after an application challenged the validity of the proceedings. Justice Dashen ruled that the earlier judgment was constitutionally defective because not all necessary parties had been joined in the suit. The court consequently nullified every action taken pursuant to the December 2025 judgment, effectively removing the legal basis upon which INEC had been directed to register the NDC.
Reacting to the latest development, the NDC maintained that the ruling was only a temporary setback. The association insisted that the substantive issues surrounding its registration remain unresolved and announced its decision to appeal the judgment. According to the NDC, it remains optimistic that the Court of Appeal will restore the earlier judgment or otherwise affirm its constitutional right to registration.
The court’s latest decision has generated considerable legal and political debate, particularly regarding the procedure for challenging judgments and the constitutional requirements for joining parties in cases affecting third-party interests. While the June 2026 ruling has suspended the effect of the earlier registration order, the dispute is expected to continue at the appellate level, where the final legal status of the NDC may ultimately be determined.
With the appeal process expected to commence, political observers believe the case could become a significant judicial precedent on the registration of political parties and the interpretation of constitutional provisions governing electoral rights in Nigeria.