The Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State capital, has ordered the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, for contempt and disobedience of court orders.
The court’s decision was in response to a suit filed by the Action Alliance (AA) against INEC.
The Action Alliance had approached the court seeking an order to compel INEC to recognize all state chairmen elected under the leadership of Hon. Adekunle Rufai Omoaje’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
The court had earlier ruled in favor of the Action Alliance, directing INEC to recognize the state chairmen. However, INEC failed to comply with the court’s order, leading to the contempt proceedings.
Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi, presiding over the case, expressed displeasure at INEC’s stance on the court order.
The court awarded a cost of ₦100,000 against the INEC chairman and gave him seven days to restore the names of all chairmen elected under Omoaje’s leadership to the commission’s portal.
Failure to comply within the specified timeframe will result in the INEC chairman’s arrest by the police.
The court’s decision to order the arrest of the INEC chairman stems from his failure to comply with a previous court order.
The Action Alliance had sought an order to compel INEC to recognize state chairmen elected under Omoaje’s leadership.
The court maintained that the national convention that produced Omoaje as the National Chairman of the party was valid, as it was monitored by INEC officials and in line with the party’s constitution and electoral acts.¹ ²
