● Stakeholders say the Lokoja Court ruling is a win for due process and democracy
● “Don’t be intimidated, stand your ground regardless of whose ox is gored”, stakeholders tell Judiciary
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to remove the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) from its register of political parties following a Federal High Court ruling that set aside the judgment which had compelled the commission to register the party.
INEC, which had initially rejected the NDC’s application for registration before a December 2025 court judgment directed it to recognise the party, said on Friday that it had applied for the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the latest judgment and would act in accordance with the court’s decision upon receipt.
“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,” INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, told Saturday Vanguard.
Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja on Friday set aside the court’s earlier judgment of December 10, 2025, which had directed INEC to register the NDC as a political party.
The court held that the earlier judgment affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which was not joined in the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo relied upon by the NDC in obtaining the registration order.
Counsel to the PMP, C. S. Ekeocha, said the ruling effectively reversed all actions taken pursuant to 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registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgment must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” he said.
Ekeocha added that the court ordered all parties to return to the position they occupied before the December 10, 2025 judgment and directed that all necessary parties be joined to enable the substantive issues to be fully determined.
He also clarified that the substantive suit remains pending before the Federal High Court and has not yet been decided.
With the matter now returning to the trial court for a fresh hearing, INEC is expected to restore the status that existed before the December 2025 judgment, pending the final determination of the case.
Some stakeholders who reacted to the June 26 ruling said it is a win for due process and democracy. They urged the Judiciary to never be intimidated by anybody regardless of whose ox is gored.
