THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is yet to receive the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Federal High Court judgment in Lokoja that set aside an earlier order directing the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party, insisting it will not take any position until it studies the court’s decision.
News Point Nigeria reports that the commission disclosed this on Saturday through the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, who said although the electoral body was aware of media reports on the June 26 judgment, it could not comment on the specifics of the ruling until it obtained and reviewed the Certified True Copy.
Speaking in an interview with journalists, Oketola said the commission was monitoring developments surrounding the judgment but would only take an informed decision after its legal department had examined the court’s ruling.
“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,” the statement read.
According to the commission, its legal department will carefully study the judgment once the certified copy is received before determining the next course of action.
“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 added.
INEC’s reaction comes a day after Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja set aside the court’s earlier judgment of December 10, 2025, which had directed the commission to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
The court held that the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP) were adversely affected by the earlier judgment because it was not joined as a party in the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo relied upon in obtaining the order.
Justice Dashen consequently directed that all parties return to the positions they occupied before the December 2025 judgment and ordered a fresh hearing of the substantive suit with all necessary parties joined.
Following the ruling, the NDC rejected the decision and announced plans to challenge it at the Court of Appeal.
The party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, maintained that the NDC had not been deregistered and argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to revisit a matter on which it had already delivered a final judgment.
The development has also generated reactions from opposition figures and groups, including the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Dickson, and other opposition stakeholders, who described the ruling as a threat to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy and vowed to pursue all available legal remedies.
INEC, however, reiterated that it would reserve its official position until it receives and thoroughly reviews the Certified True Copy of the judgment.