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The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has set aside the Federal High Court judgment in Lokoja, Kogi State, which previously ordered the deregistration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
In a two-to-one split decision, a three-member appellate panel validated the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) recognition of the NDC, describing the July 26 ruling of the lower court as perverse.
The majority judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Danjuma and Justice Muslim Sule Hassan held that the lower court engaged in an abuse of power and judicial hierarchy by sitting on appeal over its own previous judgment delivered on December 10, 2025, which had originally cleared the NDC’s registration by INEC.
The appellate court also dismissed claims regarding the NDC’s party logo, which had been challenged by an association operating under the aegis of the Peace Movement Party (PMP). Justice Danjuma and Justice Hassan ruled that the NDC’s appeal possessed merit and subsequently allowed it.
However, Justice Okon Abang delivered a dissenting verdict, upholding the high court’s decision to deregister the party. Justice Abang stated that he found no reason to fault the lower court, holding that it acted within the tenets of justice and fair hearing.
The initial ruling by Justice Isah Dashen at the High Court in Lokoja had voided the earlier decision ordering INEC to register the NDC. That reversal came after the PMP filed an application claiming it was excluded from the original proceedings despite holding a legal interest in the matter.
The High Court had agreed with the PMP, ruling that all interested parties should have been included before issuing the registration order to INEC, and subsequently ordered a fresh hearing.
Dissatisfied with that outcome, the NDC—which has already nominated candidates for the 2027 general elections—appealed the decision and successfully secured victory at the appellate level.
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