The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has rejected the Federal High Court judgment that set aside an earlier order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register it as a political party, insisting that the ruling does not amount to its deregistration.
The party said it would immediately challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal, maintaining that its legal status remains intact and that its political activities across the country remain valid.
In a statement issued on Friday by its National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, the NDC argued that the court did not direct INEC to remove the party from its register and therefore could not be interpreted as an order of deregistration.
“The NDC has not been deregistered. There was no order to that effect. We have instructed our legal team to file an appeal immediately and we are confident that justice will prevail,” the statement said.
The latest dispute follows a ruling by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, which nullified the court’s earlier judgment delivered in December 2025 directing INEC to register the NDC.
The party recalled that it had 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 functioned as a registered political party, carrying out membership registration, ward, local government, state and national congresses, conventions and primary elections in line with electoral regulations.
The party further stated that it had 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 had become functus officio after delivering its final judgment and therefore lacked the jurisdiction to revisit issues that had already been determined.
It maintained that any party dissatisfied with the original judgment ought to have pursued an appeal rather than seek to overturn it through a motion before the same court.
While expressing confidence in the judicial process, the party accused unnamed interests of attempting to use the courts to undermine political plurality and narrow democratic participation ahead of the next election cycle.
The NDC reassured its members, supporters and candidates that all party structures remain operational and that nominations already conducted remain valid pending the outcome of the appeal.
The ruling has opened a fresh chapter 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.