Appeal court upholds NDC registration, clears way for 2027 election bid

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has set aside a Federal High Court judgment that nullified the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), restoring the party’s legal status ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The appellate court, in a split two-to-one decision delivered on Friday, September 18, 2026, faulted the judgment of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, which had overturned an earlier decision recognising the NDC as a registered political party. 

The legal dispute dates back to December 10, 2025, when the Federal High Court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party.

However, on June 26, 2026, Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja set aside that judgment, holding that the earlier proceedings were constitutionally defective because a party with an interest in the matter had not been joined.

The Lokoja judgment followed an application by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which argued that it had sufficient legal interest in the case and ought to have been heard before the order directing INEC to register the NDC.

The court accepted the argument and held that the omission affected the validity of the earlier proceedings, creating uncertainty over the NDC’s registration.

But the Court of Appeal has now reversed that position.

According to the appellate court, the lower court had improperly sat in judgment over its own earlier decision. Channels Television reported that the Court of Appeal described the lower court’s action as an abuse of judicial power and hierarchy. 

Reacting to the ruling, NDC National Leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, said the decision affirmed the party’s right to participate in Nigeria’s political process.

Dickson said the ruling meant that the party’s registration remained valid and that the NDC could proceed with its political activities ahead of the 2027 elections. 

He also praised the judiciary, saying the decision protected Nigeria’s multiparty democratic system and allowed the party to concentrate on preparations for the 2027 elections.

The judgment comes amid increased preparations by the NDC for the 2027 presidential election. Peter Obi is the party’s presidential candidate, while former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is his running mate. The NDC ratified Obi’s candidacy at its national convention in May. 

The party has also been involved in a separate legal dispute with INEC over its identity.

On September 8, 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered INEC to recognise and upload the NDC’s modified logo on its official website, holding that the party had met the constitutional requirements for the alteration. 

INEC subsequently updated its website to reflect the modified logo and the party’s national leadership structure in compliance with the court order. 

The latest Court of Appeal decision therefore removes the immediate legal uncertainty surrounding the NDC’s registration as the party moves further into preparations for the 2027 general elections.