The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has broken its silence on the Federal High Court judgment that set aside the order compelling it to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), saying it will comply with the court’s decision once it obtains the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the ruling.
The electoral commission said it had already applied for the Certified True Copy of the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Lokoja and would act in accordance with the law after studying the decision.
Speaking on the development, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission could not make further comments until it received the judgment.
“We have applied for the Certified True Copy of the judgment. Until we receive it, we cannot be in a position to comment on it. However, the position that existed before the December 10, 2025 judgment was that INEC rejected NDC’s letter of intent to be registered as a political party,” Haruna told Saturday Vanguard.
His remarks come a day after Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja nullified the court’s earlier judgment of December 10, 2025, which had ordered INEC to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party.
The court held that the earlier judgment was flawed because it was delivered without hearing all parties whose interests were affected, particularly the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which claimed ownership of the logo relied upon by the NDC in obtaining the registration order.
Following the ruling, counsel to the Peace Movement Party, C.S. Ekeocha, said the judgment effectively reversed every action taken by INEC pursuant to the earlier court order.
“The recognition of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgment must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” he said.
Ekeocha explained that the court directed all parties to return to the position they occupied before the December 10, 2025 judgment and ordered that all necessary parties be joined to enable the substantive issues in dispute to be comprehensively determined.
He also clarified that the substantive suit remains pending before the Federal High Court and has not been determined on its merits.
With the case now set for a fresh hearing, INEC is expected to restore the position that existed before the December 2025 judgment pending the final determination of the substantive suit.
