The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from interfering with the Nigeria Democratic Congress’s use of its digital logo.
Justice J.O. Abdulmalik granted an order of perpetual injunction restraining the electoral umpire from stopping the party from using its logo, ordering: “That the defendant, INEC, by itself, its servants, agents, and officers howsoever, shall forthwith approve the modified logo design of the plaintiff, including its symbol and colours, which is a digitally designed ‘two-finger victory sign’ with a blue background and the word ‘NDC’ written in red on top, for use by the plaintiff, NDC as its official logo for all purposes as a political party, including for all elections conducted by the defendant INEC in Nigeria.”
The ruling settles a legal dispute prompted by the commission’s decision to delete the party’s updated digital logo from its system and revert to the former association design used during its initial registration. The political party explained that its National Executive Committee ratified the modified artwork during a meeting on 25 March 2026 and transmitted it to the commission.
Although the electoral body initially published the submission, it subsequently withdrew the logo without offering a legitimate explanation. The party attempted an out-of-court administrative settlement before resorting to judicial redress when the error went uncorrected.
Legal clarity over party symbols and promotional materials arrives at a crucial moment as political factions step up efforts ahead of the 2027 general elections to rally supporters and advertise candidates.
The NDC National Publicity Secretary Osa Director expressed gratitude to the court for its swift action while reacting to the judgment in a Thursday statement. “We thank the judiciary for its timely intervention and for directing INEC to upload and utilise the NDC’s modified digital logo,” he said.
Director instructed all party flagbearers and members to immediately adopt the verified graphic on banners, posters, and wider publicity items. He acknowledged that some members had already printed materials featuring the former icon, offering apologies for the inconvenience while pledging to roll out public awareness campaigns to familiarise voters with the updated insignia.