A Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, has set aside its previous judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party. The ruling, delivered on Friday by Justice Isah Dashen, followed an application by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which argued it was not included as a party in the original suit that led to the December 2025 judgment. The court held that all relevant political parties must be heard before a final decision is made on the registration of the NDC. This effectively leaves the party's status unresolved and without legal recognition at this time.
Bashir Ahmad, former presidential media aide and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), reacted to the judgment on his official X account. He stated that Peter Obi, the NDC's presidential candidate, and his running mate, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, should be concerned about the development. According to Ahmad, the two politicians currently lack a legally recognised platform to run in the 2027 general elections. He wrote, "Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso and Peter Obi have every reason to be worried. As things stand today, they have no legally recognised platform on which to pursue their political ambitions, as the NDC is not."
The court has not issued a new date for the re-hearing of the case, and INEC has not commented on the latest ruling. The PMP's objection centered on procedural fairness, emphasizing that decisions affecting registered parties require their inclusion in legal proceedings. Until the matter is fully re-adjudicated with all parties present, the NDC remains unrecognised by the electoral body.
The court's reversal exposes a critical gap in the NDC's path to 2027, one that hinges not on popularity but on procedural compliance. Obi and Kwankwaso built a campaign around a party that no longer has a legal foothold. Their political future now depends on a judicial process they do not control. This is not a setback from voters but from the system they sought to enter.
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