On Friday, June 26, the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi state, reversed its earlier decision directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.

The presiding judge, Justice Isah Dashen, ruled that all relevant parties must be heard before any substantive decision is reached. The court upheld the Peace Movement Party’s (PMP) motion, saying that the organization was an essential party to the lawsuit.

According to the judge, the initial judgement was constitutionally faulty since it was issued without hearing from all interested parties, rendering the entire procedure null and void. Justice Dashen further noted that certain important facts had been withheld in previous proceedings, which supported vacating the order.

The court ruled that the status quo be restored before the December 10, 2025 judgement, pending resolution of the substantive dispute. As a result, the entire case must start over, with INEC, the PMP, and the NDC all joining as parties.

With this step, unless reversed, the NDC’s presidential and vice presidential candidates, Mr Peter Obi and Rafiu Kwankwaso, would not run in the next election.