By Our Reporters
The Federal High Court in Lokoja yesterday set aside its December 10, 2025 judgment that directed INEC to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), throwing the 2027 presidential ambitions of Peter Obi and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso into uncertainty.
The court, ruling on an application by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), held that the December judgment was “constitutionally defective” as it was delivered without hearing all interested parties, and ordered a fresh hearing with INEC, PMP, and NDC as parties.
While Obi has dismissed the ruling as a “hurdle, not a stop sign,” the NDC has insisted that it has not been deregistered and plans to appeal.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the judgment as an “asphyxiation of multiparty democracy” and alleged an APC conspiracy, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) faces a separate deregistration threat, and the Labour Party’s factional leadership has welcomed the ruling as “divine justice,” exposing deepening divisions within the opposition ahead of 2027.
Justice Isah Dashen, in his ruling on Friday, held that the earlier judgment was “constitutionally defective” as it was delivered without hearing from all interested parties. The court upheld an application filed by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which argued that the NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had previously submitted to INEC before the commencement of the suit.
The judge observed that certain material facts were suppressed in the earlier proceedings and ruled that the status quo be restored to what it was before the December 2025 judgment, pending the determination of the substantive suit. Justice Dashen ordered that the substantive suit must commence afresh, with INEC, the PMP, and the NDC as parties to the case.
Counsel to the Peace Movement Party, C.S. Ekeocha, told journalists that the implication of the ruling is that every action taken by INEC in compliance with the now-vacated judgment stands reversed.
“The recognition of the NDC, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgment must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” Ekeocha stated.
However, he clarified that the substantive case remains before the court and has not been concluded, explaining that the court merely set aside its previous judgment and directed that the party whose interests were affected be joined so that all sides can be heard before a fresh decision is reached.
Reacting to the judgment, Peter Obi described the ruling as a “hurdle, not a stop sign,” urging his supporters to remain calm as the party’s legal team reviews the judgment. In a statement issued by his media spokesman, Idris Zekeri Jnr, Obi’s camp maintained that the party would pursue immediate corrective and appellate measures.
“We have received the news of today’s bizarre ruling from the court in Lokoja regarding the legal status of the Nigeria Democratic Congress,” the statement read in part. “While our legal teams are thoroughly reviewing the judgment to initiate immediate corrective and appellate measures, our Principal urges all our supporters, coalition partners, and patriots nationwide to remain absolutely calm and focused.”
Obi further described the judgment as an unnecessary setback for Nigeria’s democracy, warning that it further weakens the country’s democratic institutions.
In its rebuttal, the NDC rejected the ruling, insisting that it has not been deregistered. The party argued that the Federal High Court had become “functus officio” after delivering its final judgment in the case against INEC and had already addressed issues relating to the party’s logo and colours.
The party maintained that after the December 2025 judgment, INEC registered the NDC, enabling it to commence political activities, register members, conduct congresses and conventions, and conclude primaries for elective offices, adding that it had already fielded candidates in recent bye-elections.
The NDC stated that it has instructed its legal team to immediately challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal, questioning both the jurisdiction of the court and the propriety of the decision.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the Lokoja court ruling as a “setback to democracy” and an “asphyxiation of multiparty democracy” in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP expressed “profound condemnation of the implications of the court order, which further constricts the democratic space in our country.” The party noted that the situation is “particularly disturbing, coming after Nigerians had expended their resources to aspire to various elective offices under the platform of the NDC.”
The PDP alleged that the ruling “fits neatly into the playbook of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government, which appears unwilling to allow the survival of a genuine opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections, in order to pave the way for the President’s unchallenged re-election.”
The party urged the NDC leadership to “vigorously challenge this order within the ambit of the law while seeking the support of the Nigerian people in the struggle for democratic consolidation.”
The Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led faction of the PDP also faulted the ruling, expressing concern that it could further narrow Nigeria’s democratic space.
Paul Ibe, media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, used the development to renew calls for opposition unity ahead of the 2027 elections, describing the judgment as a “wake-up call” for opposition leaders.
In a post on his X account, Ibe accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of attempting to weaken democratic competition and establish a de facto one-party state.
“The decision of the Federal High Court Lokoja in setting aside its earlier judgement on the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress should be a wake-up call that there is no hiding place for the opposition as the incompetent and clueless Tinubu sets his sights on enthroning a de facto one-party state,” Ibe wrote.
He maintained that despite the legal setback, opposition leaders still had sufficient time to build a broad coalition capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next presidential election, specifically mentioning Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso as potential partners in such an alliance.
The ruling comes against the backdrop of a separate legal challenge affecting the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other opposition parties. A Federal High Court in Abuja recently ordered INEC to deregister the ADC, the Accord Party, and three other political associations.
The lawsuit, filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, argued that these parties failed to meet the required constitutional thresholds.
Under Nigerian law, parties must secure at least 25 percent of the votes in a state during a presidential election or win at least one elective seat at the national, state, or local government level to maintain their registration. The court ruled that these parties performed poorly and failed to meet these benchmarks during the 2023 elections and subsequent by-elections.
The ADC had been part of earlier coalition discussions involving Obi and Kwankwaso before the collapse of that arrangement.
Labour Party Factional Leader Welcomes Ruling
In a sharp contrast, Dr. Abayomi Arabambi, the factional National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the Labour Party, described the court decision as “divine justice” for what he called Obi’s “betrayal” of the Labour Party.
“This court ruling is poetic justice. It is a reminder that no amount of coalition-building and party-hopping can substitute for due process, loyalty, and institutional integrity. Peter Obi’s ‘bad luck’ is not superstition, it is the inevitable consequence of abandoning every party that ever gave him a platform,” Arabambi said.
Implications for 2027 Elections
The ruling effectively returns the dispute over the registration of the NDC to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing, with all relevant parties expected to participate before a new determination is made. This development has thrown into uncertainty the legal vehicle through which Obi and his supporters had hoped to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Obi and Kwankwaso had joined the NDC on May 3, 2026, after the collapse of the African Democratic Congress coalition. The NDC went on to absorb roughly 18 National Assembly defectors and, at its national convention, zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South—widely read as preparing ground for an Obi candidacy.
Discussion about this post