The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA) as a political party within seven days.

The ruling was delivered on Tuesday by Justice Obiora Egwuatu in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2787/25, filed by Tamunotonye Samuel Solomon Inioribo and two others against INEC.

The court ordered the electoral body to immediately issue a certificate of registration to the CDA, affirming that the association had met all constitutional and statutory requirements necessary for political party registration.

According to earlier developments, INEC had in October 2025 announced that CDA, alongside seven other associations, successfully completed the submission of required documentation as part of the registration process. The other associations included the 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 stated that the associations would proceed to the next phase involving detailed verification of submitted information. However, in December 2025, INEC declared CDA’s application unsuccessful.

Further controversy arose on February 5, 2026, when INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed that only two associations had advanced to the final stage of compliance assessment, with only the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) eventually meeting the requirements and gaining registration.

Subsequently, INEC registered the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), an association that was not among the initially pre-qualified groups, sparking concerns over the transparency of the process.

Dissatisfied with the commission’s decision, the claimants approached the court, arguing that CDA had fulfilled all legal conditions for registration. The court upheld their argument, ruling that INEC’s refusal was unjustified.

The judgment mandates INEC to register CDA as a political party ahead of the 2027 general elections.