INEC is waiting for a valid court decision before taking a stand in the NDC registration dispute

The Independent National Electoral Commission says it will not take an official position on the legal dispute surrounding the registration of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) until it obtains and reviews the Certified Original Copy of the latest judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Lokoja.

The election referee said that although he was aware of the widespread media coverage regarding the June 26 2026 decision, his party could not comment on the substance of the decision because they had not received an official order from the court.

Speaking with PUNCH Online on Saturday, Chief Press Secretary and Media Advisor to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, stressed that the commission would only respond after its legal department examines the decision.

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 the previous order regarding the registration of the Nigerian Democratic Congress.

However, to date, the Commission has not received a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the court order.

Oketola explained that the commission’s legal team would carefully evaluate the contents of the decision before deciding on the appropriate action.

He added: “After the Commission’s legal department receives and thoroughly studies the CTC ruling, INEC will take a decision that is based on law and in accordance with the court’s directions.

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

The commission’s response follows a ruling by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja on Friday, which overturned a previous ruling issued on December 10, 2025. The previous ruling had ordered INEC to register the Nigerian Democratic Congress as a political party.

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Setting aside the previous ruling, the court ruled that the Peace Movement Party did not receive a fair hearing because they did not participate in the initial lawsuit, even though they claimed ownership of the logo on which the registration order was based.

Therefore, Judge Dashen ordered that all parties be returned to their pre-judgment positions in December 2025 and ordered that the substantive case be retried with all necessary parties properly joined.

The decision prompted 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, stressed that the decision does not amount to deregistration of the party and argued that the court does not have jurisdiction to reopen an issue after giving a final decision.

The decision also drew criticism from opposition leaders and political stakeholders, including NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Dickson, and several other opposition figures. They described the decision as a setback for Nigeria’s multiparty democratic system and vowed to exhaust all available legal options.

Despite the growing political backlash, INEC stated that they would withhold further comments until they received and studied the Original Copy of the Court Judgment before determining their next course of action.