‎Court Voids INEC Registration of NDC Over Disputed Party Logo

A Federal High Court in Lokoja has set aside its earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party, effectively nullifying all actions taken pursuant to the ruling over a dispute involving the party’s logo.
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‎Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Isah Dashen held that the court’s December 10, 2025 decision adversely affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was not joined in the original suit despite claiming prior ownership of the logo adopted by the NDC.
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‎Counsel to the PMP, C.S. Ekeocha, told journalists after the proceedings that the party approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had previously submitted to INEC before the litigation commenced.
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‎According to Ekeocha, the court found merit in the application and vacated its earlier judgment. Justice Dashen further ordered all parties to revert to the position they occupied before the December 10, 2025 ruling and directed the claimants to join all necessary parties to ensure a comprehensive determination of the substantive issues.
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‎The lawyer said the decision requires INEC to withdraw every action taken in compliance with the earlier judgment, including the recognition and registration of the NDC, issuance of its certificate of registration, inclusion of the party in the commission’s records, and any appearance of the party on ballot papers, pending the final determination of the case.
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‎Ekeocha stressed that the substantive suit remains before the court, explaining that the judgment merely vacated the earlier order to give all affected parties an opportunity to be heard before a fresh decision is reached.
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‎He also dismissed suggestions that the court only directed parties to maintain the status quo, insisting that the ruling expressly restored the legal position that existed before the December 10, 2025 judgment.