A Federal High Court in Lokoja has cancelled an earlier judgment that ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party.
The decision was delivered by the presiding judge, Justice Isah Dashen on Friday.
The information about the court’s decision was shared on a social media post on X by Lere Olayinka, who serves as the media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Mr. Olayinka’s post reads:
BREAKING:
Federal High Court in Lokoja sets aside judgement compelling INEC to register NDC
Details soon…
11:41 26 June 26
The same exact post also appeared on his verified Facebook page and he then followed it up with a cryptic post titled: “Pitobi don enter ONE CHANCE like this”
Independent sources which confirmed the report stated that a Federal High Court in Lokoja Court ordered INEC to deregister Peter Obi’s NDC over logo infringemen.
The reports say that the Federal High Court overturned its previous judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party, effectively reversing all actions taken as a result of that ruling.
In the judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Isah Dashen held that the court’s December 10, 2025 decision affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was not joined in the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo used by the NDC.
Speaking to journalists after the ruling, counsel to the PMP, C.S. Ekeocha, explained that the party approached the court after discovering that the NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had earlier submitted to INEC before the legal proceedings began.
According to him, the court found merit in the party’s application and set aside the earlier judgment. It also ordered all parties to revert to the position they were in before the December 10, 2025 ruling and directed the claimants to include every necessary party in the case to ensure all issues are fully determined.
Ekeocha said the decision means every step taken by INEC in compliance with the earlier judgment including the recognition of the NDC, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit.
He clarified that the case itself has not been concluded, noting that the court only vacated its earlier judgment to allow all affected parties to be heard before a fresh decision is made.
Ekeocha also dismissed claims that the court merely ordered parties to maintain the status quo, insisting that the ruling specifically restored the position that existed before the December 10, 2025 judgment.
This fresh ruling in Lokoja comes at a time when established opposition parties are facing controversial legal challenges.