The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will not take any action on the recent court ruling involving the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) until it receives the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment.
Speaking Saturday, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said the commission was aware of reports about the Federal High Court's decision in Lokoja but could not comment on the matter without first reviewing the official court documents.
According to Oketola, the commission's legal department will study the judgment once the certified copy is received before deciding on the appropriate course of action.
He urged the public to remain patient and await INEC's official position, stressing that any decision would be based on the court's directives and the law.
The court had on Friday set aside its earlier judgment delivered on December 10, 2025, which ordered INEC to register the NDC as a political party.
Justice Isah Dashen ruled that the earlier decision affected the interests of the Peace Movement Party, which claimed ownership of the logo used in securing the registration order but was not joined in the case.
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The court consequently restored all parties to the positions they occupied before the December 2025 judgment and ordered a fresh hearing of the substantive suit with all necessary parties included.
The NDC has, however, rejected the ruling and announced plans to challenge it at the Court of Appeal. Its National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, argued that the party had not been deregistered and maintained that the trial court lacked the jurisdiction to reopen a matter after delivering a final judgment.
The judgment has also attracted criticism from several opposition figures, including the NDC's presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the party's National Leader, Senator Henry Dickson, who described the ruling as a setback for Nigeria's multiparty democracy and vowed to pursue all available legal options.
INEC, however, insists it will make no official pronouncement until it receives and reviews the Certified True Copy of the court's judgment.
