The Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, has ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, over alleged contempt of court.
Professor Yakubu, who officially stepped down as INEC Chairman on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, after completing his tenure, is accused of failing to comply with a court judgment regarding the reinstatement of national officers of the Action Alliance (AA) on INEC’s official website.
The order, issued on Monday, September 29, 2025, came before Yakubu’s exit from office. It followed a motion filed by the Action Alliance (AA), which accused INEC and its former chairman of non-compliance with a previous court ruling delivered by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi in suit number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024.
In that earlier judgment, the court directed INEC to upload the names of the Action Alliance’s National Chairman, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, and other members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) on its official portal.
The ruling also affirmed the authenticity of the elective convention held on October 7, 2023, which produced Omoaje as the national chairman. The court stated that the convention was duly monitored and supervised by INEC officials, in accordance with both the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
Despite INEC’s claim that it had complied with the judgment, the Action Alliance argued otherwise, pointing out that Omoaje’s name remained missing from the commission’s website — even though the names of state chairmen and NEC members had been uploaded.
The court, displeased with the partial compliance, subsequently ruled that Yakubu be arrested and charged for contempt within seven days of the ruling.
The court order, dated October 7, 2025, and signed by O. M. Kilani on behalf of the Court Registrar, 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.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served as INEC Chairman from 2015 to 2025, holds the record as Nigeria’s longest-serving electoral commission chairman.
Following his exit, May Agbamuche-Mbu, a long-serving INEC national commissioner, has been appointed Acting Chairman pending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointment of a substantive replacement.
According to government sources, the President is expected to announce a new INEC boss during the National Security Council meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 9, 2025.
