A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has ordered the arrest and imprisonment of the immediate-past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Mahmood Yakubu for contempt of court.
Justice Adefunmilola Demi-Ajayi issued the order on Monday, September 29, before Mr Yakubu officially stepped down from office.
The court ruled that Yakubu failed to comply with its earlier judgement directing the relisting of the national officers of the Action Alliance (AA) on the commission’s website.
According to Vanguard, the suit, marked FHC/OS/194/2024, was filed by the Action Alliance and several of its state chairmen, led by Adekunle Omoaje, against INEC and Yakubu.
The plaintiffs accused the commission of removing the names of the Omoaje-led national executive from its portal despite a subsisting court order recognising their leadership.
A certified true copy of the judgement reads in part, “The 1st Defendant (INEC) and the 2nd Defendant (Prof. Mahmood Yakubu) are hereby committed to the Correctional Centre (formerly Prison) for disobeying the judgment and orders of the Federal High Court, Osogbo, Osun State, in Suit No. FHC/OS/CS/194/2024 delivered on the 17th of February 2025.”
The court also directed the inspector general of police to ensure the immediate arrest of the defendants and commence committal proceedings within seven days of the ruling.
It further awarded a cost of N100,000 against INEC and Yakubu in favour of the plaintiffs “for acts of contempt resulting in financial and private injuries.”
The plaintiffs in the suit include the Action Alliance, Julius Adebowale, Olowookere Alabi, Chinwuba Zulyke, Oladele Sunday, Simon Itokwe and Araoye Oyewole, representing themselves and 30 other state chairmen of the party.
Professor Yakubu officially stepped down as INEC chairman on Tuesday, with May Agbamuche-Mbu, a national commissioner, assuming office as acting chairman of the electoral body.
