The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is set to remove the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) from its register of political parties following a Federal High Court ruling that nullified the judgment which compelled the commission to register the party.
INEC disclosed that it has applied for the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the latest judgment and will take the necessary steps in line with the court's decision once the document is received.
Speaking on the development, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission could not officially comment on the judgment until it obtains the certified copy.
“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.
Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja on Friday set aside the court's earlier judgment delivered on December 10, 2025, which had directed INEC to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party.
The judge held that the previous ruling affected the legal rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was not joined as a party in the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo used by the NDC in obtaining the registration order.
Reacting to the ruling, counsel to the Peace Movement Party, C. S. Ekeocha, said the decision effectively reversed every action taken as a result of the earlier judgment.
“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registration, its inclusion in INEC's records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgment must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” he said.
According to Ekeocha, the court also directed that all parties return to the position they occupied before the December 10, 2025 judgment and ordered that all necessary parties be joined in the case to allow the substantive issues to be fully determined.
He clarified that the substantive suit is still pending before the Federal High Court and has not yet been decided.
With the case now returning to the trial court for a fresh hearing, INEC is expected to restore the status quo that existed before the December 2025 judgment, pending the final determination of the matter.
The commission has maintained that it will act strictly in accordance with the court's directives once it receives the Certified True Copy of the judgment.