Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has defended its actions, following media reports suggesting its former chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, faces an arrest order for allegedly disobeying a court judgement.
The electoral body, which organises elections across Africa’s most populous nation, stated it is not in breach of the ruling by the Federal High Court in Oshogbo, Osun State, concerning a leadership dispute within the Action Alliance (AA) party.
The Alleged Contempt
Reports circulated about a court order, issued on September 29, 2025, for the arrest of Prof. Yakubu, who recently stepped down as INEC Chairman, over purported contempt.
INEC, in a statement released Thursday and signed by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee October 9, 2025, accused some media outlets of publishing “misleading reports” that:
Mischievously omitted the Commission’s subsequent legal actions in the case.
Erroneously portrayed the matter, which involves the corporate body INEC, as an individual affair of the former chairman.
Gave the wrong impression that the court issued a fresh arrest order after the initial September 29 pronouncement.
INEC’s Claim of Compliance
The Commission maintained its long-standing tradition of obeying court orders, stating it filed necessary processes at the Federal High Court, Oshogbo, on Monday, October 6, 2025, which was within the stipulated deadline.
These filings, according to INEC, demonstrated compliance with the court’s judgement by officially recognising the AA executive elected on October 7, 2023. Evidence, including a screenshot from the Commission’s official website dashboard, was reportedly tendered to the court.
The Crux of the Dispute
The issue of full compliance arose when the judgement creditors complained that INEC only listed four national executives, excluding the National Chairman, Rufai Omoaje.
INEC explained its decision was based on a superior court ruling. The Commission stated that the same Mr Omoaje had filed a Notice of Appeal at the Supreme Court, challenging an existing judgement by the Court of Appeal which had earlier sacked him as the AA National Chairman.
“The judgement of the Court of Appeal is superior to that of the federal high court, hence, the Commission cannot list Omoaje’s name as the Chairman of the Action Alliance party when the judgement of the Appeal Court is still subsisting,” the statement read.
The statement was signed by Sam Olumekun mni, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.
INEC has urged media organisations to “fact-check their reports before publication to avoid misleading the public.
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