One party secured registration in record time; a rival has languished for months without a hearing. The timeline is public, the case file open—yet the real questions are only now coming to light. KEHINDE ADEGOKE reports.
In a judicial system notorious for endless delays, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), secured registration in just 32 days by court order—while a rival group has waited five months for its first hearing. TheDiggerNews.com tracks these contrasting timelines, highlights remaining questions, and underscores the need for public explanation ahead of Nigeria’s pivotal 2027 elections.
In Nigerian courts, justice is rarely swift. Cases drag for months, adjournments pile upon adjournments, and litigants routinely wait years for hearings that never come. That is the lived reality of Nigeria’s judicial system — documented, acknowledged, and largely accepted as institutional fact. Which is why what happened in Lokoja, Kogi State, in the last quarter of 2025 demands an explanation that nobody in Nigeria’s political or legal establishment has yet provided.
A political party registration case — Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025, between Barr. Takori Mohammed Sanni and Others versus the Independent National Electoral Commission — was filed, heard, and decided in the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja in just 32 days.
The beneficiary of that 32-day judgment was the Nigeria Democratic Congress — the party now hosting former presidential candidate Peter Obi and ex-Kano Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
The All Democratic Alliance — a rival association that followed every mandatory step in INEC’s registration process, was among the 14 pre-qualified associations cleared by INEC in October 2025, and has a similar case pending in court — has been waiting five months without a single hearing date.
Thirty-two days for one, five months for the other: Nigerian authorities owe the public a full, transparent explanation for this glaring disparity.
What the Timeline Shows
The publicly documented sequence of events is precise and deeply troubling.
In September 2025, INEC confirmed that 171 associations had submitted letters of intent to register as political parties. By September 11, 2025, only 14 associations had met the required criteria and been cleared to proceed to the next stage. The Nigeria Democratic Congress was not included at this stage.
After INEC’s physical verification exercise for pre-qualified associations on December 8 and 10, 2025, it becomes notable that the Lokoja judgment ordering NDC’s registration had already been delivered on December 3, 2025—before these exercises took place. INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan publicly announced the registration on February 5, 2026, which was more than two months after the judgment.
In other words, NDC obtained a court order compelling its registration before INEC had completed registration for associations that followed the official process. Notably, NDC secured its court order within 32 days—a marked contrast to the typical length of a single hearing, which can extend up to five months.
The Questions the 32-Day Timeline Raises
The speed of the Lokoja judgment raises specific, verifiable procedural questions that TheDiggerNews.com is formally putting on the public record:
On the filing date: On what exact date was Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025 filed at the Federal High Court in Lokoja?
On service: On what date was INEC served with the originating process? How many days elapsed between filing and service?
On INEC’s response: Did INEC file a defence or counter-affidavit? If so, on what date? If not, why not — and did the court proceed to judgment without hearing INEC’s position?
On the hearing dates: How many hearing dates were scheduled between filing and judgment? Were any adjournments granted?
On the judgment date: On what exact date was the judgment delivered — and what was the precise interval between the first hearing and the delivery of judgment?
These are not rhetorical questions. They are procedural facts that exist in the court’s own records — and that any Nigerian citizen, journalist, or legal practitioner has the right to access through a formal application for the Certified True Copies of the proceedings.
The Contrast That Cannot Be Ignored
Dr Umar Ardo — founding chieftain of the All Democratic Alliance — put the contrast bluntly in a public interview: “Within 32 days, their case was heard and decided, while our own case has been in court for five months without hearing. These kinds of actions create instability in the country.”
ADA was among the 14 pre-qualified associations that completed INEC’s full registration process. It paid the mandatory ₦2 million administrative fee. It obtained INEC’s access code. It filled Form EC15A. It uploaded all required documents to INEC’s portal. It cleared every stage of INEC’s verification exercise.
NDC — by Ardo’s account and consistent with INEC’s own records showing the party was not among the 14 pre-qualified associations — did none of those things. It went directly to a court in Lokoja and obtained a registration order in 32 days.
ADA’s court case — filed to challenge what it describes as procedural irregularities in its own treatment — has not been heard by a judge for five months.
This contrast demands direct accountability from the judiciary, INEC, and oversight bodies. The process must be explained and scrutinised publicly.
The Judge Transfer Question
TheDiggerNews.com has also noted a specific allegation made by Ardo that has never been independently investigated. Ardo stated publicly: “He is from Adamawa State, from the same local government as us; we even attended the same secondary school. He was serving in Bayelsa when the NDC leader was governor there, and he was later transferred to Lokoja. We believe he was influenced to give that judgment.”
TheDiggerNews.com is not in a position to verify or publish this allegation as an established fact. What we can state is that the presiding judge’s transfer history — from Bayelsa to Lokoja — is a matter of public record held by the National Judicial Council. The date of that transfer, relative to the date the NDC case was filed, is independently verifiable.
TheDiggerNews.com is formally requesting that information from the National Judicial Council.
NDC’s Defence — and Its Limits
NDC has a counter-narrative — and it deserves to be stated fairly.
The party’s pro-tem national legal adviser stated before his reported resignation: “We were told our logo, the two-finger sign, was similar to that of the APC broom. This was shocking to us. We went to court over this unlawful exclusion, and the court enforced our rights to freedom of association, recognised us as registered, and directed INEC to register us. INEC did not and has not appealed this judgment, and the period of appeal has elapsed.”
That defence addresses the logo dispute. It does not address the 32-day timeline. It does not explain how a case was filed, heard, and decided in 32 days. It does not address whether NDC submitted any mandatory documents before the Lokoja court. And it does not address why INEC — which had every right to appeal — chose not to.
Those questions remain unanswered.
What INEC Must Now Explain
A review of INEC’s website confirms that NDC’s national executives are listed with “court order” annotations attached to their names — an unusual designation that distinguishes NDC’s registration from that of every other political party on the commission’s register.
INEC has stated it “decided to comply with the order.” It has not been explained:
Why did it not appeal a judgment obtained by an association that never participated in its registration process
Whether it was properly served and represented in the Lokoja proceedings
Whether it considers the 32-day timeline procedurally regular
Whether it has conducted any internal review of how the Lokoja case progressed so rapidly
TheDiggerNews.com is seeking an audience with INEC on all four questions. Responses will be published in full upon receipt.
The Dig
In just 32 days, a Nigerian court delivered a judgment registering a political party—one that did not engage in INEC’s official process, pay the fee, or submit documents. This rapid timeline stands in sharp contrast to typical experiences.
In contrast, a rival association that followed the full process, paid fees, and uploaded all required documents has spent five months waiting just for a hearing date in its own court case.
These contrasting timelines remain unexplained.
TheDiggerNews.com now publicly demands that INEC, the Federal High Court, and the National Judicial Council provide verifiable, documented answers on these events.
Nigeria’s 2027 election hinges on party legitimacy. It starts here.
TheDiggerNews.com is seeking Certified True Copies of proceedings in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025 from INEC, the National Judicial Council, and the Federal High Court registry in Lokoja. Right-of-reply letters have been sent to the NDC, INEC, and the offices of Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Replies will be published in full. The investigation continues.
𝗞𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱-𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟭𝟱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀, 𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗔𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺, 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝘀, 𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺.
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