The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it will not take an official position on the legal dispute surrounding the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) until it obtains and reviews the Certified True Copy of the latest judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Lokoja.
The electoral umpire said although it had become aware of widespread media reports concerning the June 26, 2026 ruling, it could not comment on the substance of the decision because it had yet to receive the court’s certified order.
Speaking with PUNCH Online on Saturday, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, stressed that the commission would only respond after its legal department had examined the judgment.
He said: “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.”
Oketola explained that the commission’s legal team would carefully evaluate the contents of the judgment before deciding on the appropriate course of action.
He added: “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.”
The commission’s response follows Friday’s ruling by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, which nullified an earlier judgment delivered on December 10, 2025. That previous decision had ordered INEC to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party.
In setting aside the earlier judgment, the court held that the Peace Movement Party was denied a fair hearing because it had not been joined in the original suit, despite claiming ownership of the logo that formed part of the basis for the registration order.
Justice Dashen consequently directed that all parties be restored to the positions they occupied before the December 2025 judgment and ordered that the substantive case be heard afresh with every necessary party properly joined.
The ruling has since sparked strong opposition from the NDC, which rejected the decision and announced plans to challenge it before the Court of Appeal. The party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, insisted that the judgment did not amount to the deregistration of the party and argued that the trial court lacked the jurisdiction to reopen a matter after delivering a final judgment.
The decision has also attracted criticism from opposition leaders and political stakeholders, including the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Dickson, and several other opposition figures. They described the ruling as a setback for Nigeria’s multiparty democratic system and pledged to exhaust all available legal options.
Despite the growing political reactions, INEC maintained that it would withhold further comment until it receives and studies the Certified True Copy of the court’s judgment before determining its next line of action.
(Ripples)
