The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has overturned the Federal High Court judgment in Lokoja, Kogi State, which had voided the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
In a split 2–1 decision delivered on Friday, September 18, 2026, the appellate court set aside the lower court’s judgment and upheld the NDC’s registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The case followed a June 2026 judgment by the Federal High Court in Lokoja, which had set aside an earlier December 10, 2025 judgment directing INEC to register the NDC.
The lower court’s decision followed an application by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which argued that it had an interest in the dispute over the party’s logo and ought to have been joined in the original proceedings.
Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court had consequently ordered that the matter be heard afresh with the relevant parties joined.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the NDC appealed to the Court of Appeal.
In Friday’s decision, the majority justices, Mohammed Danjuma and Muslim Sule Hassan, allowed the NDC’s appeal and set aside the Lokoja judgment.
The appellate court held, among other things, that the lower court had improperly sat in judgment over its own earlier decision. It also rejected the contention surrounding the NDC’s party logo.
However, Justice Okon Abang, the third member of the panel, dissented and upheld the lower court’s position.
Reacting to the judgment, NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, welcomed the decision, saying it had upheld the party’s status as a registered political party and protected its participation in the democratic process.
The ruling comes as political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections, with the NDC having already nominated candidates for various elective positions.
The latest judgment represents a significant development in the legal dispute over the NDC’s registration, although the details and implications of the court’s enrolled judgment will remain important for the electoral process.
For now, the Court of Appeal’s majority ruling has overturned the Federal High Court decision that had voided the NDC’s registration.
