A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, on Wednesday, issued a fresh order to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest the immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, for contempt of court.
The Action Alliance (AA) had instituted a case before the Osogbo court challenging INEC and Yakubu over the commission’s non-compliance with the judgment delivered by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi in suit number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024.
The court had, in the said judgment, ordered INEC to put the names of the National Chairman of AA, Adekunle Omoaje, and other members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) on the INEC portal.
It held that the elective convention of AA on October 7, 2023, which resulted in Omoaje being elected as national chairman and other NEC members, was authentic, as it was properly monitored and supervised by officials of INEC in accordance with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
Although INEC claimed to have complied with the court judgment, the party disagreed with the commission, as the name of Omoaje had yet to be uploaded on the commission’s website
The court order signed by Mr O.M. Kilani, on behalf of the Court Registrar, reads: “It is hereby ordered that the IGP shall cause the arrest and shall charge the defendant/judgment debtors for contempt and committal proceedings within seven days of this ruling.” It also awarded a cost of N100,000 against the judgment creditors.
Yakubu handed over to the commission’s oldest serving National Commissioner, May Agbamuche-Mbu, as the Acting National Chairman on Tuesday. He is said to be proceeding on terminal leave after a 10-year stint as the Commission’s national chairman.
