Why Court Ordered the Arrest of Former INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu - Full Details of the Osogbo Judgment

... Federal High Court directs IGP to arrest ex-INEC boss for alleged contempt of court in Action Alliance leadership dispute

Barely hours after leaving office as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has found himself in fresh legal trouble - a Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, has ordered his arrest.

The court, presided over by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi, directed the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to immediately arrest the former electoral umpire boss and bring him before the court to face contempt and committal proceedings within seven days.

The ruling stems from a long-running dispute between INEC and the Action Alliance (AA) over the commission's alleged failure to comply with a subsisting court judgment delivered in suit number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024.

In that judgment, the court had ordered INEC to recognize and upload the names of the National Chairman of the Action Alliance, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, and other National Executive Committee (NEC) members on its official portal. The decision also affirmed that the party's elective convention held on October 7, 2023, which produced Omoaje as the party's chairman, was validly conducted and properly monitored by INEC officials in accordance with the Electoral Act and the party's constitution.

However, despite claims by INEC that it had complied with the ruling, the party disputed this, insisting that while the names of its state chairmen and NEC members were uploaded, the name of its National Chairman, Omoaje, remained missing from the commission's portal.

The court, visibly angered by the commission's alleged defiance, issued a fresh order dated October 7, 2025, directing the IGP to arrest Yakubu and charge him for contempt of court.

According to the certified order signed by O.M. Kilani on behalf of the court registrar, "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 awarded a 100,000 cost against the judgment creditors.

This ruling marks yet another chapter in the controversy surrounding the administration of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure as INEC Chairman was often trailed by disputes over internal party compliance, electoral integrity, and court orders.

Political watchers believe this case could test the commitment of law enforcement agencies to uphold judicial authority - even when the accused is a former head of Nigeria's electoral body.