Umar Ardo, one of the founding leaders of All Democratic Alliance (ADA), has said the association would appeal the judgement of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja which ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

ADA was one of the eight pre-qualified associations cleared by INEC in October 2025 for party registrations having uploaded all required information and documentation on the commission’s website.

However, on February 5, 2026, Joash Amupitan, INEC chairman, said “only two” out of the eight “qualified for final assessment and verification of due compliance with the constitution and the Electoral Act”.

Despite not being part of the pre-qualified associations, the NDC was also registered by INEC. According to Amupitan, the move followed the order of the Federal High Court in Lokoja.

“The Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, in suit No. FHC/LKJ/ CS/49/2025 between Barr Takori Mohammed Sanni & Ors v. INEC ordered the commission to register Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party,” he stated. “The Commission has decided to comply with the order and it is being registered as a political party. Certificate of registration will be handed over to the two new political parties in due course.”

Speaking during an interview on ‘Trust TV’ in April, Ardo alleged that INEC deviated from its procedures in the registration of NDC. He claimed that NDC was never part of the 2025 screening process, asking INEC to explain why it registered the party through a court order when it did not apply for official registration.

In a separate interview with DCL Hausa posted via YouTube yesterday, the ADA chieftain said the party would file an appeal against the Lokoja ruling, alleging “it was politically influenced”.

“We are filing an appeal. During the proceedings in Lokoja, the NDC failed to present any supporting evidence that they did not submit their Constitution, the Electoral Act, or any documentation compliant with INEC guidelines.

Despite this total lack of evidence, the judge issued a directive for their registration,” he explained. “While the judge and I share the same hometown of Jada in Adamawa State, he resided there while the current NDC leader served as governor. He was subsequently transferred to Lokoja, where the NDC followed him to file this case.

We believe this connection influenced the judgement,” he remarked. Ardo noted that the association will be appealing the judgement “on the ground of interests”. “We have met every legal requirement and have spent nearly N200 million establishing offices in every state, yet our case has languished for five months without a ruling.

In contrast, the NDC’s case was resolved in just 32 days,” he maintained. “The NDC never submitted a formal application, was not shortlisted, and failed to join the INEC registration portal. Furthermore, they did not submit the required legal documents mandated by INEC guidelines, such as a constitution, a manifesto, or a list of executive members.