Legal practitioner Liborous Oshoma has asserted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) consistently maintained that the alleged conflict surrounding the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)’s logo was the only reason it refused to register the political party.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Oshoma explained that the issue of the disputed logo was never concealed from the court during the original legal proceedings. According to him, INEC clearly outlined its position in its counter-affidavit filed in response to the suit instituted by the NDC, making the matter a central aspect of the case from the outset.
The lawyer argued that throughout the litigation, INEC’s stance never changed. He said the electoral commission repeatedly insisted that the alleged similarity between the NDC’s logo and that of another association was the sole obstacle to the party’s registration, adding that no other substantive reason was advanced during the proceedings.
Oshoma further noted that because the logo dispute had already been presented before the court and extensively argued by both parties, it could not later be regarded as fresh evidence capable of justifying a review or reversal of the judgment.
He explained that the trial judge was fully aware of INEC’s objections before delivering the ruling directing the commission to register the NDC. In his view, the court reached its decision only after carefully considering the arguments relating to the disputed logo.
According to Oshoma, the subsequent application seeking to set aside the judgment failed to introduce any new facts regarding the logo that had not already been addressed during the initial hearing. He maintained that the court’s records clearly reflected INEC’s position, making it difficult to argue that the issue had been hidden from the court or overlooked during the proceedings.
The legal practitioner stressed that INEC’s consistent reliance on the logo dispute throughout the case demonstrated that it had always been the commission’s principal objection to the party’s registration.
In his words, “INEC consistently maintained from the beginning that the only issue preventing registration was the conflicting logo.”