AfriPulse
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has been dragged to a Federal High Court, Abuja, for allegedly shutting its political party registration portal against the Grass-roots Initiative Party, GRIP, before the stipulated thirty days.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS//2025, with GRIP, Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie and Mohammed Abas Kuti as first, second and third plaintiffs, respectively, the court was asked to determine the legality or otherwise of INEC after the plaintiffs had paid the mandatory N2m administrative fee.
The plaintiffs, through their lawyer, Jideoffor Ukachukwu and
Paul Omotosho, claim that the thirty 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 are therefore seeking, among others, a declaration that the closure of the portal by INEC against them on Sunday, the 19th day of October, 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 want 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. The summons also sought an order of court mandating INEC to extend any time for the doing of anything or 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.
The second plaintiff, Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie, who is the National Chairperson of GRIP, in an affidavit, stated that, “We applied to INEC for the registration of our association as a political party vide an application dated 16th day of July, 2025, and we received an acknowledgment from INEC by a letter dated 25th July, 2025 with reference: INEC/DEPM/LRPP/785/II/79.
“INEC in its publication of Thursday 11th September, 2025 shortlisted 14 associations out of 171 associations as those who have met the requirements to proceed to the application stage and the GRIP was listed as number 8 in the said publication. On the 12th September, 2025, INEC wrote another letter to us titled “Provisional approval to apply for registration as a political party”, communicating its approval to us to proceed to apply for registration as a political party.”
He stated that upon the receipt of the provisional approval to commence registration from INEC, “we paid our registration fee of N2m on the 15th day of October, 2025 and proceeded to the defendant’s headquarters and procured the official INEC receipt of payment”.
He said, “On the 16th day of October, 2025, we logged into the portal, and it showed clearly at the top that we have 30 days to complete our registration. On the 17th of October, 2025, it showed us that we had 29 days remaining to complete our application. On Saturday being the 18th day of October, 2025, the countdown on the INEC portal showed us that we had 28 days remaining to complete our application.
“Surprisingly, on Sunday, 19th October, when we were supposed to still have 27 days remaining, we were shut out. We have made several representations to the defendant to grant us access to the portal to complete our upload to no avail. We did not in any way go against the contents and provisions of any of the documents given to us by the defendant.”
Chukwumezie stated that the decision of INEC to close the application/portal “against us earlier than the representations made to us is arbitrary and calculated to deny us registration unlawfully”.
Source: TheWhistler | Read the Full Story…
