According to the court, the failure to hear all interested parties amounted to a constitutional defect that rendered the December 10, 2025 judgment null and void.
A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, has set aside its earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party, effectively nullifying the party’s registration pending a fresh hearing.
Justice Isah Dashen, who delivered the ruling on Friday, held that the earlier judgment was fundamentally flawed because it was delivered without hearing all parties whose interests were affected by the case.
The judge ruled that the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which sought to overturn the judgment, was a necessary party to the suit and should have been joined before any substantive decision was reached.
According to the court, the failure to hear all interested parties amounted to a constitutional defect that rendered the December 10, 2025 judgment null and void.
