Court rules fees charged by electoral body illegal

A court in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, ruled on Thursday that the country's electoral commission acted illegally when it charged political parties fees to field candidates in upcoming general elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced it would charge as "processing fees" amounts ranging from 500,000 naira (US $4,000) for presidential candidates to 25,000 naira ($200) for those seeking election as local government councillors.

But Gani Fawehinmi, a leading human rights lawyer and presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party, filed a suit on behalf of 24 small political parties challenging the fees as unconstitutional.

Presiding judge Binta Murtala-Nyako agreed with the political parties in her ruling.

"Going through the constitution and the electoral act 2002, I fail to see where INEC was empowered to prescribe and demand such processing fees," Murtala-Nyako said. "I therefore declare the processing fees charged by the defendant illegal and unconstitutional..."

Most of the aggrieved parties were registered late last year to contest April-May general elections after they won a drawn-out legal battle at the Supreme Court against conditions for registration imposed by INEC.

"We are happy that the court has prevented INEC from hijacking the democratic process for the rich, contrary to the constitution," Fawehinmi said in a statement.

The electoral commission has issued a statement saying it will abide by the ruling of the court and reimburse the fees paid by political parties.

The general elections will be the first in Nigeria since a 1999 vote ended more than 15 years of military rule.