By Peace Udugba
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise the Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA) as a registered political party and issue it a certificate of registration within seven days.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2787/25, Justice Obiora Egwuatu held that the electoral commission acted unlawfully in refusing to finalise the party’s registration process.
The case was filed by Tamunotonye Samuel Solomon Inioribo and two others against INEC over its decision in December 2025 to decline full registration of the Citizens Democratic Alliance, despite the group reportedly receiving provisional approval and meeting key statutory requirements, including submission of required documents and verification of its leadership structure and national secretariat.
The applicants argued that they had satisfied all constitutional and legal conditions for registration of a political party and contended that INEC’s refusal lacked justification.
In his ruling, Justice Egwuatu upheld the arguments of the applicants and ordered INEC to complete the registration process without further delay by issuing a Certificate of Registration to the CDA.
The judgment is expected to influence future political party registration processes in Nigeria and reinforce compliance with statutory requirements governing electoral administration.
The Citizens Democratic Alliance describes itself as a social democratic movement focused on democratic reforms, constitutional restructuring, economic transformation, institutional accountability, and inclusive development.
