INEC to review Federal High Court judgment on NDC registration, ADC warns of one-party state

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC announced it will review a Federal High Court judgment from Lokoja, Kogi State, before deciding on the registration status of the Nigeria Democratic Congress NDC. This comes after Justice Isah Dashen set aside a December 10, 2025 judgment that had compelled INEC to register the NDC. The judge's decision was based on the rights of the Peace Movement Party, which claimed ownership of the logo used for the NDC's registration and was not included in the original suit. INEC's Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, stated the commission awaits the Certified True Copy of the judgment before making an informed decision. Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress ADC accused President Bola Tinubu's administration of using state institutions to weaken opposition parties, warning of a potential slide into a one-party state ahead of the 2027 general elections. The ADC, through its National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, argued that persistent legal battles against opposition parties undermine public confidence in democratic institutions and electoral processes. The Coalition of United Political Parties CUPP also condemned the ruling, with its Acting National Chairman Peter Ameh describing it as "judicial overreach" and questioning the legal basis for the court to entertain an application from an unregistered political association. Ameh further argued that the trial judge lacked the power to revisit a judgment after the court had