The Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, has directed the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for alleged contempt of court.
The order came just a few hours after Yakubu officially left office as INEC chairman. It stems from a case filed by the Action Alliance (AA), which accused INEC and Yakubu of failing to obey a previous judgment delivered by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi in suit number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024.
In that earlier ruling, the court had instructed INEC to publish the names of the AA National Chairman, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, and other members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) on its official website. Justice Demi-Ajayi also upheld that the party’s elective convention held on October 7, 2023—which produced Omoaje as chairman—was valid and properly monitored by INEC in accordance with the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution.
Although INEC claimed it had complied with the court’s order, the Action Alliance maintained that Omoaje’s name was still missing from the commission’s website, despite the inclusion of other NEC members and state chairmen.
In a new order dated October 7, 2025, and signed by court registrar O.M. Kilani, the court instructed the Inspector General of Police to arrest Yakubu and begin contempt and committal proceedings within seven days. The court also imposed a cost of ₦100,000 against the judgment creditors.