NDC Heads to Appeal Court Over Lokoja Judgment

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has vowed to challenge a Federal High Court ruling that set aside an earlier judgment compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register it as a political party, insisting that it remains a legally recognised platform.

National Chairman of the party, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, made the position known at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, describing the court’s latest decision as legally flawed and assuring members that the party’s activities and candidates remained unaffected.

According to him, the ruling stemmed from an application filed by an unregistered association known as the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which claimed it had sought registration with the same victory sign as its symbol in 2015.

Zuwoghe recalled that the NDC approached the Federal High Court in December 2025 after INEC declined to register it, adding that the court upheld the party’s constitutional right to freedom of association and ordered its registration.

Since then, he said, the party had fully integrated into the political process by registering members, conducting ward, local government, state and national congresses, holding its national convention and concluding primaries for elective offices in line with INEC’s timetable.

He added that the party also fielded candidates in the recent bye-elections in Nasarawa and Enugu states and had nominated candidates for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governorship, presidential and vice-presidential elections.

The NDC chairman maintained that the Peace Movement Party is neither a registered political party nor an association participating in the current registration exercise, arguing that it lacked the legal standing to seek the order granted by the court.

He further contended that the Federal High Court had become *functus officio* after delivering its final judgment in the NDC’s suit against INEC and had already resolved issues relating to the party’s symbol and colours.

“There was no order directing our deregistration. However, we are dissatisfied with the decision that has been made, and we have instructed our team of lawyers to immediately proceed to the Court of Appeal to challenge the jurisdiction and propriety of His Lordship’s order,” he said.

Zuwoghe assured the party’s members and candidates that the NDC remained a recognised political party and that all nominations already made remained valid.

“The NDC has not been deregistered, and we are challenging today’s order at the Court of Appeal as soon as possible. We have no doubt that justice will be done,” he stated.

The party also accused unnamed interests of attempting to undermine Nigeria’s multi-party democracy through the courts.

Zuwoghe argued that if the association challenging the earlier judgment believed it was affected by the decision, the proper legal option was to file an appeal within the prescribed period rather than seek to overturn the judgment through a motion.

“It is too late for anyone to attempt to use the judiciary to derail or narrow Nigeria’s multi-party democratic space,” he said.

He described the latest application as “illegal and an outright abuse of court process,” insisting that the move amounted to an attempt to overturn a final judgment through the “back door.”

The NDC chairman thanked party members, candidates and supporters for their confidence, expressing optimism that the Court of Appeal would overturn the ruling and affirm the party’s legal status.