A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja has set aside its earlier judgment delivered on December 10, 2025, which directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Isah Dashen held that all parties with a direct interest in the matter must be given a fair hearing before any substantive decision is reached, in line with the principles of natural justice.
The judge ruled that the application filed by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), an interested party in the suit, had merit, noting that the party successfully established its legal interest in the case.
Justice Dashen held that the earlier proceedings were constitutionally defective because the interested party was not heard. He declared the previous judgment a nullity and ordered that the status quo be restored pending the hearing of the substantive suit.
The court further observed that material facts were suppressed during the proceedings that led to the December 2025 judgment, making it necessary to set aside the earlier ruling.
Justice Dashen consequently ordered that the substantive suit should commence afresh, with INEC, the Peace Movement Party (PMP), and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) joined as parties in the case.
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