Court dismisses Wisdom Party suit against INEC ahead of 2027 polls
- A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to force INEC to register Wisdom Party.
- Justice James Omotosho ruled the claim lacked merit and had become academic.
- The court held INEC is within its powers to charge administrative fees for party registration.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register a political association known as Wisdom Party as a full political party.
Justice James Omotosho held that the plaintiff's claim lacked merit and that the suit had become academic. The ruling comes as the country moves closer to the 2027 general election.
The suit was filed by Chief Mrs Chinasa Nwekeke, who described herself as the pro tem National Chairman of Wisdom Party. Her lawyer, Mark Agbo, filed the originating summons marked FHC//ABJ/CS/746/2026 on April 14, with INEC as the sole defendant.
What the plaintiff asked for
Nwekeke argued that INEC never objected to the party's name, symbol and logo within 90 days of its letter of intent, which she said was sent on September 22. She asked the court to treat that silence as approval.
She also challenged the power of INEC to charge an administrative fee before processing a party registration application, arguing that the fee was unreasonable and inconsistent with the Electoral Act 2022. She further claimed that INEC's failure to provide account details for the payment amounted to a waiver meant to frustrate her application.
INEC, through its lawyer Segun Bello, disagreed. The commission argued that the letter of intent did not include a symbol for the proposed party and so did not meet the requirements of the law. It also told the court that granting the reliefs would leave less than 12 months to the general election, which it said is fixed for January 2027.
Why the judge ruled against the party
Justice Omotosho held that the Electoral Act allows INEC to generate revenue and to charge fees for some of its activities, including party registration. He compared it to the courts, which receive funding from the Consolidated Revenue Fund but still set filing fees.
"There is no express prohibition on the defendant to refrain from fixing administrative fees," the judge said, adding that INEC is within its powers to demand processing fees.
He concluded that the plaintiff's case had no merit and dismissed it.
What happens next: Wisdom Party remains unregistered on the basis of this ruling. Any appeal would have to move quickly, given INEC's position that the 2027 general election is set for January 2027.
