A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has ordered the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, over alleged contempt of court.
The order was issued just hours after Yakubu officially left office as INEC Chairman.
The case was filed by the Action Alliance (AA), which accused INEC and its former chairman of failing to obey a previous court ruling delivered by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi in suit number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024.
In that judgment, the court directed INEC to list the names of the Action Alliance’s National Chairman, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, and members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) on its official portal. It also ordered that the names of all state chairmen of the party be uploaded.
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The court had earlier ruled that the party’s elective convention held on October 7, 2023, which produced Omoaje as national chairman — was valid, having been properly monitored by INEC in line with the party’s constitution and electoral laws.
INEC claimed to have complied with the ruling, but the party disagreed, noting that Omoaje’s name was still missing from the commission’s website. While the names of the party’s state chairmen and NEC members had been uploaded, Omoaje’s name remained absent as of press time, a situation the court described as defiance of its order.
A fresh order obtained by our correspondent, dated October 7, 2025, and signed by Mr. 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 fine of ₦100,000 against the judgment creditors.