Breaking News: Fate of Peter Obi is up in the air as Court cancels NDC registration

The Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja has quashed its earlier ruling directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party, paving the way for a fresh hearing on the matter.

Former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, is the presidential flag bearer of the opposition party, NDC.

Justice Isah Dashen, in a ruling issued on Friday, found that the court’s previous decision of December 10, 2025, prejudiced the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which did not join as a party to the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo used by the NDC in its registration process. Project reports

Accordingly, the court ordered all parties to return to the position they occupied before the previous ruling and ordered the appellants to join with all parties necessary to allow the issues in dispute to be fully and fairly determined in the NDC case.

NDC: The Court cites the non-compliance of the interested party

Peace Movement Party lawyer, CS Ekeocha, explained that his client approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration was based on a logo that the PMP had previously submitted to INEC before the commencement of the suit.

According to him, the failure to include the Peace Movement Party in the previous proceedings amounted to a denial of a fair trial, as the ruling directly affected the party’s interests.

“The court has ordered all parties to return to the position they occupied before the judgment of December 10, 2025, and directed the appellants to join hands with all parties necessary to ensure that the disputed issues are effectively and fully resolved,” Ekeocha said.

INEC’s actions have been canceled pending a new decision

The lawyer further said that all actions taken by INEC pursuant to the previous ruling have now been quashed pending the determination of the case on its merits.

He explained that the recognition of the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in the official registers of INEC and any appearance on ballot papers arising from the previous ruling must be withdrawn until the court finally decides the matter. inecportal.com

“The recognition of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in the INEC registers and any appearance on the ballot papers arising out of such ruling must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive case,” he said.

The substantive case remains before the court

Ekeocha stressed that Friday’s ruling did not resolve the substantive dispute over the registration of the NDC but merely reopened the case to allow all interested parties to participate.

According to him, the court only annulled the previous ruling and ordered that the Peace Movement party, whose interests may have been harmed, be brought together in the proceedings before a new decision is made.

“The matter has not been concluded. The court simply annulled its previous ruling and ordered that the party whose interests were affected join together so that all parties can be heard before a new decision is made,” he added.

A new hearing is expected

The ruling effectively sends the Nigeria Democratic Congress registration dispute back to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing in which all interested parties are expected to participate.

The outcome of the new proceedings will determine whether the previous order directing INEC to register the NDC as a political party will be confirmed, modified or annulled after all interested parties have been heard.

Similar ruling against ADC and other opposition political parties

A few days ago, a Federal High Court issued a similar ruling ordering INEC to no longer recognize some political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Apart from the ADC, the other parties that the High Court ordered INEC to deregister are Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labor Party (ZLP).

According to the Court, the five political parties did not meet the constitutional requirements necessary to ensure their continued existence and participation in future elections.

The group behind the case told the court that the ADC and the other four parties performed poorly in both the 2023 general elections and the by-elections conducted by INEC, thus failing to win seats at key levels of government.

The litigants insisted that the continued existence of the ADC and the other defendants as recognized political parties is illegal and undermines the integrity of the country’s electoral system.

In response, the INEC vehemently opposed the former legislators’ action, arguing that the five parties cannot be deregistered because they won several seats in the states and the National Assembly in previous elections.

The electoral body has attached several performance certificates issued to its candidates who won the previous elections.