Barely hours after vacating office as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu has been ordered to be arrested by the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, over alleged contempt of court.
The order, issued by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi, directed the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to ensure Yakubu’s arrest and arraignment within seven days for disobeying a subsisting court judgment.
The case, filed by the Action Alliance (AA), accused INEC and its former chairman of failing to comply with a judgment previously delivered in suit number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024. The judgment had mandated the electoral body to recognize Adekunle Rufai Omoaje as the legitimate National Chairman of the party and to upload the names of all National Executive Committee (NEC) members and state chairmen on its official portal.
In that ruling, the court upheld the validity of the AA elective convention held on October 7, 2023, which produced Omoaje as the party’s national chairman, declaring it duly monitored by INEC in line with the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution.
Although INEC insisted it had complied with the directive, the Action Alliance maintained otherwise, stressing that Omoaje’s name remained missing from the commission’s website despite the court’s clear order. While the names of other state chairmen and NEC members were uploaded, the omission of Omoaje’s name prompted the latest court action.
The court, expressing displeasure over INEC’s partial compliance, ruled that the failure amounted to contempt and must be addressed promptly. In a certified court order dated October 7, 2025, and signed by Mr. O. M. Kilani on behalf of the Registrar, the judge directed:
> “It is hereby ordered that the Inspector General of Police shall cause the arrest and shall charge the defendant/judgment debtors for contempt and committal proceedings within seven days of this ruling.”
Additionally, the court imposed a fine of ₦100,000 against the judgment creditors as part of the ruling.
The development has generated reactions within political and legal circles, coming just as Yakubu’s tenure as INEC chairman officially came to an end.
