A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the country's major telecoms companies to pay a sum of NGN500 million to the major opposition party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), as damages for shutting down the Party's SMS-powered fundraising platform.

In a judgment read by Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, the telecoms companies joined in the suit are Etisalat, MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Visafone.

The court said the damages will be paid jointly and severally by all the respondents.

According to the court, the political party is protected by the constitution to push for the enforcement of its fundamental right once violated. The court subsequently threw out NCC's counter-affidavit and ruled that the actions of respondents were illegal and unconstitutional.

Reacting to the judgment, Paul Usoro, counsel to the NCC, cited grounds for the appeal, and he said he has the mandate of his client to appeal against the entire judgment.

Sonny Aragba-Akpore, head of media department at NCC, said the trial judge erred in law when he dismissed the Appellant's Notice of Preliminary Objection of March 2, 2015, which challenged the competence of the suit on the grounds that same was without merit.