A federal high court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to approve and upload the modified logo of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on its official website.
Joyce Abdulmalik, the presiding judge, gave the order in a judgement delivered on Tuesday, September 8, in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1814/2026 and filed by the NDC against INEC.
The judge held that INEC’s refusal to permit the NDC to modify its logo was unconstitutional, illegal and an infringement of the party’s rights.
Relying on sections 221, 222(a)-(f), 7(2)(a) and 40 of the 1999 Constitution, as well as Article 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the court held that the NDC had complied with the requirements for the modification of its logo.
The court also held that the modified design adopted by the NDC at its first national executive committee (NEC) meeting on March 25, 2026, should be regarded as the party’s proper official logo.
Abdulmalik ordered INEC, its servants, agents and officers to “forthwith approve” the modified logo design of the NDC, including its symbol and colours.
The judge said the logo is to be used by the NDC as its official logo “for all purposes as a political party including for all elections conducted by the Defendant in Nigeria”.
The NDC had filed the suit amid a dispute over the party’s registration and logo.
Ikenna Enekweizu, the party’s national secretary, said the registration process dated back to 2017.
He said INEC initially declined the application because of concerns over the similarity between the NDC’s proposed logo and that of another political party.
The NDC later sued INEC, and on December 10, 2025, Isah Dashen, judge of the federal high court in Lokoja, Kogi state capital, ordered the electoral commission to register the NDC as a political party.
On February 5, 2026, Joash Amupitan, INEC chairman, announced the registration of two political parties, including the NDC, citing the Lokoja judgement.
The Peace Movement Party (PMP) subsequently approached the same federal high court, arguing that it had a legal interest in the dispute because it had earlier applied to INEC for registration using the same two-finger victory logo.
The PMP argued that it had submitted the disputed logo before the NDC and that INEC was aware of its prior claim.
In its affidavit, INEC acknowledged that both associations had submitted the disputed two-finger logo during their respective registration processes and that the PMP had filed its application before the NDC.
On June 26, Dashen set aside the December 10, 2025, judgement after finding that the PMP had a direct and legally recognisable interest in the case but was neither joined to the proceedings nor given an opportunity to be heard.
The court held that the earlier proceedings were constitutionally defective and ordered that the status quo be restored to the position before the December judgement.
It also ordered that the substantive dispute be heard afresh, with INEC, PMP and NDC joined as parties.
The NDC has maintained that the June judgement did not expressly order its deregistration and said it would challenge the ruling at the court of appeal.
The latest Abuja judgement, however, specifically addresses the NDC’s modified logo, ordering INEC to approve it, refrain from interfering with its use and publish it on the commission’s official website.
Reacting to the judgement, Osa Director, national publicity secretary of the NDC, said the party welcomed the court’s decision.
Director added that the party had approached the court after INEC removed the modified logo it had earlier uploaded and reinstated the old association logo.
He said the party’s NEC approved the modified logo on March 25 and forwarded it to INEC, but the commission later removed it without giving a reason.
Director said NDC gave INEC sufficient time to resolve the matter administratively before seeking legal redress.
According to him, the judgement has now settled the party’s right to use the modified “two-finger” victory sign as its official logo.
He said the party had directed all its candidates and members to use the approved logo on campaign materials, including banners, posters and other publicity items.
“We thank the judiciary for its timely intervention and for directing INEC to upload and utilise the NDC’s modified digital logo,” the statement reads.
“All candidates and party members are hereby directed to adopt and use only the approved NDC logo on all campaign materials and paraphernalia, including banners, posters, and other publicity items.
“We recognise that some candidates and members may have already produced materials bearing the old logo. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused.”
