INEC awaits certified court judgment before deciding on NDC registration status

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will not take a position on the recent Federal High Court judgment involving the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) until it receives and reviews the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the ruling.

The commission disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday by its Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, following reports on the June 26 judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Lokoja.

According to INEC, although it is aware of media reports on the court’s decision, it has yet to obtain the certified copy of the judgment and therefore cannot comment on its specifics.

The electoral body explained that its legal department would study the judgment once the CTC is received and subsequently advise the commission on the appropriate course of action in line with the court’s directives.

Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja had on Friday set aside the court’s December 10, 2025, judgment that directed INEC to register the NDC as a political party.

The court held that the rights of the Peace Movement Party were affected because it was not joined in the original suit despite claiming ownership of the logo used in obtaining the registration order. The judge ordered that all parties be returned to their positions before the December 2025 judgment and directed that the substantive suit be heard afresh with all necessary parties joined.

The NDC has rejected the ruling and announced plans to appeal, insisting it has not been deregistered. The party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to revisit a matter on which it had already delivered a final judgment.

The ruling has also drawn criticism from opposition figures, including the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, National Leader Senator Henry Dickson and other stakeholders, who described the decision as a threat to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy and vowed to challenge it through the legal process. INEC, however, maintained that it would announce its position only after reviewing the Certified True Copy of the judgment.