Court orders arrest of ex-INEC chairman

The Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, has ordered the arrest of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), over alleged disobedience to a subsisting court order.

Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi issued the directive mandating the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest Yakubu and initiate contempt and committal proceedings against him within seven days. The court also awarded a cost of ₦100,000 against the defendants.

The ruling stemmed from a suit filed by the Action Alliance (AA), which accused INEC and its former chairman of failing to comply with an earlier judgment in suit number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024.

In that judgment, the court ordered INEC to upload the names of the party’s National Chairman, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, and members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) onto its official website.

Justice Demi-Ajayi had also upheld the validity of the AA elective convention held on October 7, 2023, which produced Omoaje as chairman, affirming that the process was properly conducted and duly monitored by INEC in line with the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution.

However, despite INEC’s claim of compliance, the Action Alliance maintained that Omoaje’s name remained missing from the commission’s website.

This prompted the court to issue the latest arrest order dated October 7, 2025, and signed by court official O. M. Kilani, directing law enforcement to ensure full enforcement of its earlier ruling.