The Independence National Electoral Commission, INEC has effectively shut out the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC from accessing its codes whigh are needed to upload its candidate list for the 2027 general elections.
This digital lockout poses a severe threat to the political ambitions of former 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Kano Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, both of whom were recently ratified as the NDC’s presidential and vice-presidential flagbearers, alongside numerous high-profile defectors who aligned with them.
The ruling, delivered by Presiding Judge Hon. Justice Isa H. Dashen at the Lokoja Judicial Division, effectively sets aside a December 10, 2025 judgment that had previously compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission to register the party.
According to the court ruling, the prior judgment was nullified because it affected the legal rights of the Peace Movement Party, which claimed ownership of the logo used by the NDC but was never joined as a party to the original lawsuit.
Following the development, INEC is now expected to remove the NDC from its roster of recognized political parties.
The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, on Saturday stated that the commission was waiting to obtain the official paperwork before finalizing its response.
“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 INEC shura but NDC as a political party,” Haruna explained.
