NIGERIA: INEC Awaits Certified Lokoja Court Judgment Before Taking Position On NDC Registration Dispute

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will withhold its official position on the recent Federal High Court judgment setting aside an earlier order directing the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) until it receives and reviews the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the ruling.

The commission disclosed this on Saturday in response to widespread reactions trailing Friday’s judgment delivered by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, which nullified its earlier decision that had ordered the registration of the NDC as a political party.

Speaking on behalf of the commission on Saturday, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said although the electoral body was aware of media reports concerning the judgment, it was yet to receive the certified copy of the court’s decision and could therefore not comment on its substance.

According to him, the commission would only determine its next line of action after its legal department has thoroughly examined the contents of the judgment.

“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.

“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,” Oketola said.

The development follows the judgment delivered by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja on Friday, which set aside the court’s earlier ruling of December 10, 2025, that had directed INEC to register the NDC as a political party.

In his ruling, Justice Dashen held that the earlier judgment was reached without joining the Peace Movement Party, a party that claimed ownership of the logo allegedly relied upon by the NDC in securing the registration order. The court ruled that the omission affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party and rendered it necessary to vacate the earlier judgment.

The court subsequently directed that all parties revert to the positions they occupied before the December 2025 judgment and ordered that the substantive suit be heard afresh with all necessary parties properly joined in the proceedings.

The ruling has sparked strong reactions from the NDC, which immediately rejected the decision and announced plans to challenge it before the Court of Appeal.

The National Chairman of the party, Senator Moses Cleopas, argued that the judgment did not amount to the deregistration of the party, insisting that the trial court lacked the jurisdiction to reopen a matter on which it had already delivered a final judgment.

The court’s decision has also attracted criticism from several opposition leaders and political stakeholders, including the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Dickson, and other opposition groups, who described the judgment as a setback for Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.

They maintained that the ruling could have far-reaching implications for political pluralism in the country and vowed to pursue all available legal avenues to overturn the decision.

Despite the growing political debate surrounding the judgment, INEC has maintained that it will not be drawn into public commentary until it obtains the Certified True Copy of the court’s decision and concludes a comprehensive legal review before taking any official action.