Court Orders INEC to Register Citizens Democratic Alliance as Political Party

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA) as a political party, marking the latest in a series of judicial interventions compelling the electoral body to admit new associations into Nigeria's increasingly crowded political space. Justice Obiora Egwuatu issued the order on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2787/25, filed by Tamunotonye Samuel Solomon Inioribo and two others against INEC. The court directed the commission to issue a certificate of registration to the CDA within seven days.

The dispute originated from INEC's handling of applications submitted by associations seeking registration ahead of future elections. In October 2025, INEC announced that eight associations out of 14 pre-qualified applicants had successfully completed the upload of all required information and documentation as part of the registration process. The eight associations were the Citizens Democratic Alliance, All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Abundance Social Party (ASP), African Alliance Party (AAP), Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Green Future Party (GFP), National Democratic Party (NDP), and Peoples Freedom Party (PFP). The commission had stated that the next stage would involve a detailed assessment and verification of the documents submitted by each association.

However, in December 2025, INEC declared the CDA's application unsuccessful. On February 5, 2026, INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan disclosed that only two of the eight associations had qualified for the final stage of assessment and verification of due compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act. According to Amupitan, only the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) met all legal requirements following the final review and was subsequently registered by the commission. The controversy deepened when INEC later registered the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), an association that was not among the eight groups earlier pre-qualified by the commission.

Dissatisfied with the development, the plaintiffs approached the court, challenging the legality of INEC's decision to deny registration to the CDA. They argued that the association had complied with all constitutional and statutory requirements for registration as a political party and accused the commission of acting unlawfully in rejecting its application. In his judgment, Justice Egwuatu agreed with the claimants and ordered INEC to register the CDA and issue its certificate of registration without delay.

The CDA describes itself as a progressive movement committed to advancing democratic reforms, economic revitalisation, and government accountability. With the ruling, the number of registered political parties in Nigeria is set to increase beyond the current 22. Nigeria now has 22 registered political parties, all of which have already handed over their membership lists to INEC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC has confirmed receiving the court judgment. The Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adebayo Oketola, said the commission was examining the implications of the judgment. "The commission has received the judgment and it is being reviewed. The members of the commission will study it and make a decision in due course," Oketola stated. The ruling is the latest in a series of court orders compelling INEC to register political parties. In February 2026, a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered INEC to register the National Democratic Party (NDP). In March, another court ordered INEC to allow the Grassroots Initiative Party (GRIP) to complete its registration process. In June, yet another court ordered INEC to reinstate the registration process of the Access Party (AP) and issue it an access code to enable it to complete its registration. These developments have led many observers to question whether the courts are gradually taking over the functions of the electoral commission, a trend that could have significant implications for Nigeria's political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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