Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will not take a position on the recent Federal High Court judgment concerning the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) until it receives and reviews the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the ruling.
INEC’s Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said the commission was aware of reports on the June 26 judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Lokoja but could not comment on its details without first studying the court’s decision.
According to him, the commission’s legal department will examine the certified judgment before deciding on the appropriate legal and administrative steps in line with the court’s directives.
He urged the public to await INEC’s official position, stressing that the commission could not comment on the specifics of the ruling until the CTC is received and reviewed.
The court, presided over by Justice Isah Dashen, had on Friday set aside its earlier judgment of December 10, 2025, which ordered INEC to register the NDC as a political party.
The judge 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 securing the registration order.
Consequently, the court directed that all parties return to their positions before the December 2025 judgment and ordered a fresh hearing of the substantive case with all necessary parties included.
The NDC has rejected the ruling and announced plans to appeal. Its National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, argued that the party had not been deregistered and maintained that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to revisit a matter on which it had already delivered a final judgment.
The judgment has also drawn reactions from opposition figures, including the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Dickson, and other stakeholders, who described the decision as a threat to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy and vowed to pursue all available legal remedies.
INEC, however, insists it will make its position known only after obtaining and studying the Certified True Copy of the judgment.
INEC to review court judgment on NDC, awaits Certified True Copy
