Ikenna Enekweizu, the National Secretary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has argued that the recent court ruling against his party’s registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is fundamentally flawed. A Federal High Court in Lokoja recently nullified its previous decision that had ordered INEC to officially recognize the NDC as a political party.
During an appearance on Arise News, Enekweizu emphasized that the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which INEC used as a justification for denying the NDC’s registration, does not actually exist. He noted that the PMP was neither an officially recognized party nor among the 171 associations that submitted applications for registration to the commission.
Enekweizu explained that the initial reason provided by INEC for denying the NDC registration was an alleged similarity between the party’s logo and that of the All Progressives Congress (APC). According to the National Secretary, INEC later pivoted to the PMP argument only after the NDC had already filed its legal challenge. He argued that it is legally inconsistent for the electoral body to shift its reasoning during trial after previously admitting the APC logo similarity claim was not valid. The NDC maintains that since the primary reason for their rejection was retracted, the legal grounds for the court’s recent reversal are nonexistent.
