Shockwaves in Abuja: Court Orders Arrest of Ex-INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu Over Contempt Charges
Abuja, Nigeria – October 9, 2025
A Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, has issued an order for the arrest and possible imprisonment of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the outgoing Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for contempt of court, following an earlier judgment he is accused of failing to comply with.
The matter centers on a suit filed by Action Alliance (AA), numbering FHC/OS/CS/194/2024. The plaintiffs sought to compel INEC and Prof. Yakubu to restore to INEC’s official portal the names of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of AA led by Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, along with the names of state chairmen, which had allegedly been removed or omitted.
In February 2025, the court delivered a judgment in favour of AA, ordering that the names of the party’s leadership be duly uploaded on INEC’s portal to reflect the outcome of the party’s October 7, 2023 convention, which it recognized as valid. However, the court later found that INEC, under Prof. Yakubu’s leadership, had not fully implemented this order, in particular failing to upload the name of Omoaje as National Chairman, among others.
On September 29, 2025 (before Yakubu vacated office), Justice Adefunmilola Demi-Ajayi of the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo delivered a ruling declaring Yakubu and INEC in contempt, for disobedience of the earlier court order. The judgment ordered their committal to a correctional facility unless they comply.
In the order, the court instructed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to arrest Defendants/Judgement Debtors in Favour of the Plaintiffs/Judgement Creditors and initiate committal proceedings within seven days of the ruling. The ruling further imposed a cost of ₦100,000 on the defendants.
The arrest order was issued only hours before or around the time Prof. Yakubu’s tenure as INEC Chairman officially ended, with Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu stepping in as Acting Chairman. The proximity of the court order to his exit is an issue of public conversation, as critics note that he may have already left office when the enforcement directive was made public.
A number of critics have noted that this is a rare instance of a court seeking to enforce direct personal consequences upon a former electoral commission head. Some insist that the order holds both INEC (as an institution) and Prof. Yakubu personally responsible for the court’s prior judgment.
The case raises broader questions about accountability in electoral administration, the enforceability of court rulings against powerful institutions, and the implications for future electoral integrity in Nigeria. The effectiveness of the court’s order will depend on whether security agencies comply, whether legal appeals succeed, and whether Yakubu (and INEC) respond.
