INEC Responds to Court Ruling on NDC, Outlines Next Course of Action

The Federal High Court’s ruling that overturned a previous order requiring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party has not yet been delivered to INEC.

This was revealed by INEC’s Chief Press Secretary and Media Advisor to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, in a statement released on Saturday.

The commission claims that even though it is aware of media reports on the June 26 judgement rendered by the Federal High Court in Lokoja, it is unable to comment on the decision until it receives and examines the certified copy.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, is aware of media reports about the ruling rendered by the Federal High Court in Lokoja on Friday, June 26, 2026, which overturned a previous order pertaining to the Nigeria Democratic Congress’s registration.

The statement stated, “But as of right now, the Commission has not received the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the court’s order.”

After receiving the CTC, INEC said its legal staff would review the ruling before recommending a line of action to the commission.

“INEC will make an informed, legal decision in accordance with the court’s orders after the Commission’s legal department receives and carefully examines the CTC of the judgement.

“The public is urged to wait for the Commission’s formal position on the matter, and we are unable to comment on the specifics of the ruling until then,” Oketola continued.

The court’s December 10, 2025, ruling ordering INEC to register the NDC as a political party was overturned on Friday by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja.

The Peace Movement Party claimed ownership of the emblem used to get the registration order, but it was not included in the lawsuit, thus the court determined that the earlier ruling harmed the party’s rights.

As a result, Justice Dashen ruled that the substantive suit be heard again with all required parties joined and ordered that all parties be returned to their pre-December 2025 positions.

The NDC has declared its intention to appeal the decision and disputed the ruling. Senator Moses Cleopas, the party’s national chairman, insisted that the party had not been deregistered and contended that the trial court lacked the authority to reopen a case on which it had previously rendered a definitive ruling.

Opposition leaders, such as Peter Obi, the NDC’s presidential candidate, Senator Henry Dickson, the party’s national leader, and other stakeholders, have also reacted to the ruling, calling it a threat to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy and promising to contest it through all legal avenues.

However, INEC insisted that it would hold off on making a decision until it had received and examined the Certified True Copy.