A Federal High Court, Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately reopen its political party registration portal for the Grassroot Initiative Party to complete its registration process.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Binta Nyako ordered that the portal be made accessible to the party for a period of 27 days starting from March 26. The court held that INEC’s decision to shut the portal just three days after granting access, despite a stipulated 30-day window, violated its own 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.

The judge ruled that the electoral body acted improperly by denying the party the full duration provided for completing its registration requirements. She further rejected INEC’s claim that the suit was filed out of time, noting that the commission failed to present proof that it formally notified the plaintiffs about the portal’s closure.

According to the court, the absence of such communication meant INEC did not fulfil a necessary precondition, weakening its defence. The issue was therefore resolved in favour of the plaintiffs.

The case was initiated by GRIP through its representatives, Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie and Mohammed Abas Kuti, who challenged the legality of the portal shutdown. Through their counsel, Jideofor Ukachukwu, they argued that they had paid the required N2 million administrative fee and were entitled to the full 30-day access period as outlined in INEC’s guidelines and user manual.

They contended that the portal was closed on October 19, 2025, leaving them with 27 unused days to complete the upload of necessary documents, which they described as a breach of established procedures.

The court agreed with their position and ordered INEC to restore access accordingly.

In a related development, Justice Nyako dismissed two separate suits filed against INEC by the Green Future Party and the Liberation People’s Party.

In the case involving the Green Future Party, the court held that the applicants did not meet the constitutional criteria required for political party registration. Meanwhile, the suit by the Liberation People’s Party was struck out, with the judge noting that despite having a valid access code at the time the portal was closed, the party undermined its own case and was therefore not entitled to any relief.