The Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, over alleged contempt of court.
The order was issued just a few hours after Prof. Yakubu vacated office as INEC Chairman.
The directive followed a suit filed by the Action Alliance (AA) against INEC and its former chairman, accusing them of failing to comply with a previous judgment delivered by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi in suit number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024.
In that earlier ruling, the court ordered INEC to upload the names of the party’s National Chairman, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, and other members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) onto the commission’s official portal. The court further affirmed that the elective convention of the Action Alliance held on October 7, 2023, which produced Omoaje and his NEC members, was validly conducted under INEC supervision and in line with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
Despite INEC’s claim that it had complied with the court order, the Action Alliance maintained that the commission failed to fully implement the judgment, as Omoaje’s name was still missing from the INEC website, though the names of the state chairmen and other NEC members had been uploaded.
The court, expressing displeasure over the alleged non-compliance, described the omission as a clear disregard for judicial authority.
A certified copy of the court order obtained by reporters, dated October 7, 2025, and signed by O.M. Kilani on behalf of the Court Registrar, reads in part:
“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.”
The court also imposed a ₦100,000 fine against the judgment creditors as part of the ruling.
