NDC Heads to Appeal, Rejects Deregistration Claims

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has rejected the recent judgment of the Federal High Court that nullified an earlier ruling directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register it as a political party, insisting that the decision does not amount to its deregistration.

The party said it would immediately challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal, maintaining that it remains legally recognised and that all its political activities across the country are still valid.
In a statement issued on Friday, the party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, argued that the court did not instruct INEC to remove the NDC from its register and, therefore, the judgment could not be interpreted as a deregistration order.
“The NDC has not been deregistered. There was no order to that effect. We have directed our legal team to file an appeal immediately, and we are confident that justice will prevail,” the statement read.
The legal dispute followed a ruling by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, which set aside the court’s earlier December 2025 judgment directing INEC to register the NDC.
The party recalled that it had initially approached the court after INEC declined its application for registration and subsequently secured a judgment affirming its constitutional right to freedom of association.
According to the NDC, it has since operated as a registered political party, conducting membership registration, ward, local government, state and national congresses, conventions and primary elections in compliance with electoral guidelines.
The party also noted that it participated in recent by-elections in Nasarawa and Enugu states and had already nominated candidates for various elective positions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Questioning the legal basis of the latest ruling, the NDC argued that the trial court became functus officio after delivering its final judgment and therefore lacked the jurisdiction to revisit issues that had already been decided.
It maintained that any party dissatisfied with the original judgment should have pursued an appeal instead of seeking to overturn it through a motion before the same court.
While expressing confidence in the judicial process, the NDC accused unnamed interests of attempting to use the courts to undermine political plurality and limit democratic participation ahead of the next election cycle.
The party reassured its members, supporters and candidates that all party structures remain operational and that all nominations already conducted remain valid pending the outcome of the appeal.
The ruling has opened a new phase in the legal battle over the party’s registration, with attention now shifting to the Court of Appeal, where the NDC hopes to overturn the decision and retain its place on Nigeria’s political landscape.