NDC Case: INEC says it will study Court judgment before taking action

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has yet to receive the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, setting aside an earlier order relating to the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said the commission was aware of media reports concerning the June 26 judgment but could not comment on its specifics until it obtained and reviewed the court’s decision.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is aware of reports circulating in the media regarding the judgment delivered on Friday, June 26, 2026, by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, which set aside an earlier order concerning the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

“However, as of this moment, the Commission has not yet received the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the court’s order,” the statement read.

According to the commission, its legal department will study the judgment once the certified copy is received before determining the appropriate course of action.

“Once the Commission’s legal department receives and thoroughly studies the CTC of the judgment, INEC will take an informed, lawful decision in line with the court’s directives.

“Until then, we cannot comment on the specifics of the ruling, and the public is urged to await the Commission’s formal position on the matter,” Oketola added.

The commission’s reaction comes a day after Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja set aside the court’s earlier judgment of December 10, 2025, which had directed INEC to register the NDC as a political party.

The court held that the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP) were affected by the earlier judgment because it was not joined in the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo relied upon in obtaining the order.

Justice Dashen consequently directed that all parties be restored to the positions they occupied before the December 2025 judgment and ordered a fresh hearing of the substantive suit with all necessary parties joined.

Following the ruling, the NDC rejected the decision and announced plans to challenge it at the Court of Appeal. The party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, maintained that the party had not been deregistered and argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to revisit a matter on which it had already delivered a final judgment.

The judgment has since attracted reactions from opposition figures and groups, including the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Dickson, and other stakeholders, who described the ruling as a threat to Nigeria’s multi-party democracy and vowed to pursue all available legal remedies.

INEC, however, reiterated that it would reserve its position until it receives and reviews the Certified True Copy of the judgment.

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