INEC moves to delist NDC after court reverses registration order

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 earlier directed 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 appropriate action in line with the court’s decision once the document is received.

Speaking to Saturday Vanguard, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission would be guided by the court’s verdict.

“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,” he said.

The development follows Friday’s ruling by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, which set aside the court’s earlier judgment of December 10, 2025 that directed INEC to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party.

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The court held that the earlier judgment adversely affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which claimed ownership of the logo relied upon by the NDC but was not joined as a party in the original suit.

Counsel to the Peace Movement Party, C.S. Ekeocha, explained that the latest ruling effectively reversed all actions taken pursuant to the earlier judgment.

According to him, the recognition of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in INEC’s official records and any appearance on ballot papers arising from the earlier judgment must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit.

Ekeocha said 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 ensure that the issues in dispute are effectively and completely determined.

He clarified that the substantive suit remains pending before the Federal High Court and has not been concluded.

“The matter has not been concluded. The court merely set aside its previous judgment and directed that the party whose interests were affected be joined so that all sides can be heard before a fresh decision is reached,” he said.

The lawyer also dismissed suggestions that the court merely ordered parties to maintain the status quo, insisting that the ruling specifically restored the position that existed before the December 10, 2025 judgment.

With the dispute returning to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing, INEC is expected to restore the position that existed before the December 2025 judgment, pending the final determination of the case, a move that could lead to the removal of the Nigeria Democratic Congress from the commission’s register of political parties.