The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has set aside a Federal High Court judgment that ordered the deregistration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party, validating its recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2027 general elections in a two-to-one majority decision delivered on Friday.
The legal battle surrounding the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) reached a turning point as the appellate court dismantled a lower court decision that had abruptly upended the party’s electoral status. A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal in Abuja delivered the split decision, ruling that the trial court in Lokoja overstepped its bounds by attempting to reverse its own earlier recognition of the party.
Court of Appeal Reverses Lokoja Ruling in Split Decision
The appellate proceedings centered on a challenge brought by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which had successfully argued before the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, that its interests and party logo rights were ignored in initial proceedings. On June 26, 2026, Justice Isah Dashen of the Lokoja court set aside a December 10, 2025, judgment that had originally compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC.
The reversal of the order followed an application brought before the court by the PMP, which insisted that it was not joined in the original proceedings despite having a legal interest in the matter. The high court agreed with the applicant, stressing that all parties with vested interests ought to have been allowed to participate in the proceedings before it issued the order to INEC. Consequently, Justice Dashen ordered a fresh hearing of the case with all the relevant parties properly joined.
Dissatisfied with the decision, the NDC, which had since nominated candidates for the 2027 general elections, took the matter to the Court of Appeal, where it secured victory. The appellate court held that the lower court engaged in an abuse of power and of the judicial hierarchy when it sat on appeal over its own previous judgment, delivered on December 10, 2025, which had okayed the registration of the NDC by INEC.
In the majority decision by Justice Mohammed Danjuma and Justice Muslim Sule Hassan, the appellate court declared perverse the verdict the high court delivered on June 26, 2026. The two justices also dismissed the contention over the NDC’s party logo, which an association under the aegis of the Peace Movement Party (PMP) claimed belonged to it, and held that there was merit in the appeal that the NDC lodged before the court, accordingly allowing it.
However, another member of the panel, Justice Okon Abang, gave a dissenting verdict and upheld the deregistration of the NDC as a political party. Justice Abang said he found no reason to fault the high court, which, he held, acted in line with the tenets of justice and fair hearing.
NDC Leadership Responds to the Appellate Victory
Following the decision, the national leadership of the NDC declared the party fully prepared to resume its political activities and contest upcoming ballots. National Leader of the NDC, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, disclosed this in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Friday, saying the appellate court’s decision had upheld the party’s right to participate in Nigeria’s political process.
Dickson said the Court of Appeal, in its judgment delivered on Friday, allowed the NDC’s appeal and set aside the decision of the Lokoja court, identifying the presiding justice as Justice Mohammed Danjuma, with Justice Hassan reading the judgment.
We want to use this opportunity once again to commend the Nigerian judiciary, and in particular, Hon. Justice Danjuma and Hon.
Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the NDC
The former Bayelsa State governor described the earlier Federal High Court judgment as an assault on the party’s constitutional right to participate in politics and said the appellate court’s decision had restored what he described as the NDC’s right to participate in political activities as a registered party. Dickson congratulated NDC members and candidates while thanking Nigerians for their prayers and support during the legal battle.
When the unexpected judgment of the Lokoja Federal High Court was delivered, we were bombarded with several calls for sympathy, support and prayers. Today, our collective prayers have been answered,
he said.
Campaign Preparations and the Road to 2027
With its legal standing secured, the party has instructed candidates and members to pivot entirely toward campaign operations. He declared that the party’s registration remained valid and that the NDC and its candidates would participate in the 2027 elections.
The NDC continues to exist. Our registration remains valid and subsisting, and we and all our candidates will participate in all elections in 2027 and beyond,
he stated. Dickson subsequently urged party members to shift their attention to preparations for the 2027 elections.
Dickson urged supporters to focus on the campaigns, prepare for the elections, and focus on the task ahead to face the All Progressives Congress (APC) and defeat them at the polls. The NDC leader also warned against attempts to influence the judiciary, saying the party remained confident and that such measures would not deter the party from participating in the electoral process.