BREAKING: CTC of court judgment ordering NDC deregistration emerges (Photos)

The Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has emerged.

The ruling, delivered by Justice Isa H. Dashen of the Federal High Court, Lokoja Judicial Division, set aside the court’s earlier judgment of December 10, 2025, which had directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party.

According to the judgment, the earlier decision was nullified because it affected the legal rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which claimed ownership of the logo used by the NDC but was not joined as a party in the original suit.

Following the ruling, INEC is expected to remove the NDC from its list of recognised political parties.

However, the commission has maintained that it will act only after reviewing the Certified True Copy of the judgment.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission had applied for the court document before taking any decision.

> “We have applied for the Certified True Copy of the judgment. Until we receive it, we cannot be in a position to comment on it. However, the position that existed before the December 10, 2025 judgment was that INEC rejected NDC’s letter of intent to be registered as a political party,” Haruna said.

The development comes as the NDC continues to face challenges ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party has alleged that it was denied the portal access code required to upload the names of its candidates to INEC’s nomination portal, a situation it says threatens the political aspirations of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso, and other party candidates.

INEC recently shifted the release of portal access codes from June 26 to Monday, June 29, to streamline submissions by eligible political parties.

Under the commission’s timetable, presidential and National Assembly candidates are expected to upload their nomination forms between June 27 and July 11, 2026, while governorship and state assembly candidates have from July 18 to August 8, 2026.

Confirming the denial of access, the NDC’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said the party’s request for the upload credentials was unsuccessful.

“We approached INEC to collect the access code to upload the names of our candidates to the INEC portal. They told us that they will get back to us,” he said.

Director added that the party would return to the commission while pursuing legal action to halt the implementation of the court judgment.

“We will go back there by tomorrow. I believe by tomorrow we must have filed a stay of execution in court,” he said.

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