INEC Responds to Court Ruling on Nigeria Democratic Congress

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a statement regarding a court judgment delivered by Justice Isah Dashen at the Federal High Court in Lokoja on June 26, 2026. The judgment set aside an earlier order from December 10, 2025, which directed INEC to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.

INEC's Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, stated that the commission cannot comment on the ruling until it receives a certified true copy of the court's order. The commission's legal department will study the judgment upon receipt and will inform the public of its next course of action.

The NDC has rejected the ruling and announced plans to appeal, with its national chairman, Senator Moses Cleopa, asserting that the trial court lacked jurisdiction. The decision has drawn reactions from opposition figures, including NDC's presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and national leader, Senator Henry Dickson (Bayelsa West), who described the ruling as a threat to Nigeria's multiparty democracy.