Court Orders Arrest Of Ex INEC Chairman Yakubu For Contempt

The Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, has directed 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.

The order was issued just hours after Yakubu officially left office.

The decision stems from a suit filed by the Action Alliance (AA) against INEC and its former chairman for allegedly refusing to comply with a court judgment delivered earlier by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi. The ruling, marked FHC/OS/CS/194/2024, had ordered INEC to upload the names of the party’s National Chairman, Hon. Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, and other members of its National Executive Committee on the commission’s portal.

The court had further confirmed that the party’s elective convention held on October 7, 2023, which produced Omoaje as national chairman, was valid. It ruled that the convention was properly conducted under INEC supervision in line with the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution.

Despite INEC’s claim of compliance, the Action Alliance argued that the commission failed to fully obey the order since Omoaje’s name remained missing from its website. While the names of state chairmen and other NEC members under his leadership were uploaded, the absence of the national chairman’s name was seen by the court as a violation of its directive.

In a fresh ruling dated October 7, 2025, and signed by Court Registrar O.M. Kilani, the court instructed the Inspector General of Police to ensure Yakubu’s arrest and prosecution for contempt within seven days. The order also included a cost of ₦100,000 against the judgment creditors.

The development marks another chapter in the long-running dispute between the Action Alliance and the electoral commission over the recognition of its leadership and compliance with court rulings.