NDC Appeals Court Ruling, Uploads Peter Obi's Name To INEC Candidate Portal

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has appealed the Federal High Court ruling that set aside an earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the party, while confirming that it has uploaded the name of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the electoral body's candidate nomination portal.

The development comes days after the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, nullified its December 2025 judgment ordering INEC to register the NDC as a political party.

The court's decision followed an application filed by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which argued that it was not joined as a party in the earlier suit despite having an interest in the matter.

Delivering the ruling, Justice Isah Dashen held that all parties with a legal interest in the case must be given an opportunity to be heard before a substantive decision could be reached.

The court subsequently declared the earlier proceedings null and void and ordered that the status quo be maintained pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Reacting to the ruling, the National Leader of the NDC, Seriake Dickson, disclosed in a Facebook post on Monday night that the party had filed a notice of appeal and an application seeking a stay of execution of the judgment.

According to Dickson, the appeal documents have already been served on the Chairman of INEC and the electoral commission.

"Having filed and served our appeal and the accompanying applications, the ball is now in the court of the judiciary, and we expect the judiciary to do what is right under the law," he said.

He also announced that the NDC had been granted access to INEC's candidate nomination portal, enabling the party to begin uploading the details of its candidates for the forthcoming elections.

"We have been granted access to the INEC portal to upload our qualified candidates.

"My name and that of the presidential candidate (Peter Obi) have been uploaded to the INEC portal, while that of the vice presidential candidate will be done tomorrow upon completion of the deposition. The process is also ongoing for other candidates," Dickson stated.

Although the NDC leader did not specify the appellate court handling the matter, reports indicate that the appeal was filed at the Court of Appeal in Lokoja, Kogi State.

As of the time of filing this report, the Court of Appeal had not announced a date for hearing the case.

The appeal marks the latest chapter in the NDC's legal battle to secure formal recognition as a political party, while its leadership continues preparations for the electoral process pending the outcome of the court proceedings.