By TAIYE AGBAJE

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately open its portal to allow Grassroot Initiative Party (GRIP) complete its registration as a political party.

Justice Binta Nyako, in a judgment, ordered that the registration portal should be opened for GRIP to access the portal for 27 days beginning from today, March 26.

Justice Nyako held that the shutting of the INEC’s registration portal against GRIP, three days after it was given access code and before the stipulated 30-day period, was contrary to the commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022.

“I hereby order that the defendant (INEC) should open its portal for 27 days from today for the plaintiffs to complete its registration,” the judge ruled.

She also dismissed the electoral umpire’s argument that the plaintiffs’ suit was incompetent and statute barred, having not been filed within 14 days after the portal was shut.

The judge, however, held that INEC failed to place before the court material evidence to prove that it served the plaintiffs with any correspondence on the closure of its portal.

Justice Nyako, who said that failure to activate the condition precedent of serving such correspondence on the plaintiffs was an error on the commission’s part, resolved the Issue against INEC.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that GRIP, through its officials, had sued INEC as sole defendant for allegedly shutting its registration portal three days after it was given access code to complete its registration within 30-day period.

In the originating summons, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2790/2025, Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie and Mohammed Abas Kuti (representing members of GRIP undergoing registration) had sued as 1st and 2nd plaintiffs.

In the suit filed Dec. 24, 2025 by their lawyer, Jideofor Ukachukwu, the plaintiffs asked the court to determine the legality or otherwise of INEC to have closed its portal against them before the expiration of 30-day period stipulated in its guidelines after they had paid the mandatory N2 million administrative fee.

The plaintiffs argued that the 30-day period was in line with the access code issued to them by INEC upon payment of the necessary administrative fees pursuant to the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022, which was also contained in INEC’s User Guide for Political Party Registration Portal (PPRP).

The plaintiffs, therefore, sought, among others, a declaration that the closure of the portal by INEC against them on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 “when the plaintiffs still have outstanding 27 days to complete the upload of the requirements for the registration of GRIP as a political party is contrary to the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022”.

They also prayed the court to mandate INEC to open its registration portal and/or grant them access to complete the upload of information required for the registration of GRIP as a political party.

They also sought an order of court mandating INEC to extend any time for fulfilling any requirement or condition towards the registration of GRIP as a political party having regard to any timetable or timeframe allotted for the registration of political parties.

In another development, Justice Nyako, on Thursday, dismissed two separate suits filed by Green Future Party (GFP) and and Liberation People’s Party (LPP) against INEC.

In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2791/2025 and filed by GFP’s lawyer, Kingdom Okere, the judge held that the plaintiffs failed to complied with the constitutional requirements to be registered as party.

Also in the suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/46/2026, Justice Nyako held that though its access code was still valid as at the time INEC portal was shut down, LPP shot itself on the foot, hence, it was not entitled to any cost. (NAN)

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