INEC Breaks Silence on Court Order Cancelling NDC Registration

• INEC says it has not received the Certified True Copy of the Federal High Court judgment that set aside the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is yet to take an official position on the Federal High Court judgment that set aside an earlier order directing the commission to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.

Speaking on Saturday, INEC’s Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said the commission is still awaiting the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Lokoja on Friday, June 26, 2026.

According to him, INEC’s legal department will carefully study the court’s decision once the certified copy is received before advising the commission on the appropriate next steps.

“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,” Oketola stated.

The court, presided over by Justice Isah Dashen, had set aside its earlier judgment of December 10, 2025, which directed INEC to register the NDC, ruling that the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP) were affected because it was not joined in the original suit.

The judgment ordered all parties to return to the positions they occupied before the December 2025 ruling and directed that the substantive case be heard afresh with all necessary parties included.

The ruling has sparked reactions across the political landscape, with the NDC leadership rejecting the decision and announcing plans to appeal. Former Anambra State Governor and NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, also described the ruling as a threat to Nigeria’s multi-party democracy and vowed to challenge it through legal means.

However, INEC has maintained that it will reserve its comments and actions until its legal team reviews the Certified True Copy of the judgment.