Court Orders Arrest of Former INEC Chairman Mahmoud Yakubu

Court has ordered for the arrest of Former INEC Chairman Mahmoud Yakubu.

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that a Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has ordered the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, for contempt of court, just hours after he vacated office.

The order stems from a suit filed by the Action Alliance (AA), which accused INEC and its former chairman of failing to comply with a previous judgment delivered by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi in case number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024.

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In that judgment, the court directed INEC to upload the names of the party’s National Chairman, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, along with members of its National Executive Committee (NEC) and state chairmen, onto the commission’s official portal.

The court had also affirmed that the elective convention held on October 7, 2023 which produced Omoaje as national chairman was valid, having been duly supervised by INEC officials in line with the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution.

However, the Action Alliance returned to court, alleging that INEC had failed to fully comply with the order, as Omoaje’s name was still missing from the INEC website despite other names being uploaded.

In a fresh ruling dated October 7, 2025, and signed by O.M. Kilani on behalf of the court registrar, the court directed the Inspector-General of Police to arrest and initiate committal proceedings against Yakubu within seven days for disobeying the earlier judgment.

The court document stated:

“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 awarded a cost of ₦100,000 against the judgment creditors.