The court ordered INEC to open a portal for GRIP to complete registration

Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately open its portal to enable the Grassroots Initiative Party (GRIP) to complete its registration as a political party in the country.

The judge in his decision ordered that the registration portal be opened so that GRIP can access the portal for 27 days starting March 26.

He considered that the closure of the INEC registration portal for GRIP, three days after being given the access code and before the stipulated 30 day period, was contrary to the Commission’s 2022 Political Party Regulations and Guidelines.

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

He also rejected the commission’s argument that the plaintiffs’ lawsuit was incompetent and violated the law, because it was not filed within 14 days after the portal was closed.

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The judge however held that INEC failed to submit material evidence to the court to prove that INEC served the plaintiff with any correspondence regarding the closure of its portal.

Justice Nyako, who said the failure to activate the condition precedent in serving the correspondence to the plaintiff was INEC’s fault, resolved the matter against the commission.

GRIP through its officials has sued INEC for allegedly closing its registration portal three days after it was given the access code to complete its registration within a period of 30 days.