Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reopen its political party registration portal to enable the Grassroot Initiative Party (GRIP) complete its registration process.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Binta Nyako ruled that INEC must grant GRIP access to the portal for 27 days, starting from March 26, to finalise its application.
The court held that INEC’s earlier decision to shut the portal just three days after issuing an access code to GRIP was inconsistent with its own Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022.
Justice Nyako stated that the commission acted improperly by closing the portal before the expiration of the stipulated 30-day window allocated for completing registration requirements.
The judge also rejected INEC’s argument that the case was filed outside the legally permitted timeframe, ruling that the commission failed to provide evidence that it formally notified the applicants of the portal closure.
According to the court, INEC’s inability to prove that such communication was served to the plaintiffs undermined its position.
The case was initiated by Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie and Mohammed Abas Kuti, who represented members of GRIP seeking registration as a political party.
Through their counsel, Jideofor Ukachukwu the plaintiffs argued that they had paid the required N2 million administrative fee and were entitled to the full 30-day period to upload necessary documents.
They maintained that the premature closure of the portal prevented them from completing the process, contrary to INEC’s established guidelines and user manual.
The court agreed with their position and ordered INEC to restore access, allowing the party to complete its registration within the remaining timeframe.
In a related development, Justice Nyako dismissed separate suits filed by the Green Future Party (GFP) and the Liberation People’s Party (LPP) against INEC.
The court ruled that GFP failed to meet constitutional requirements for party registration.
Similarly, the LPP’s case was dismissed, with the court noting that despite having a valid access code at the time, the party did not meet the necessary conditions to sustain its claim.
The ruling is expected to have implications for political party registration processes ahead of upcoming elections in Nigeria.
