A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has ordered the arrest and imprisonment of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the recently departed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for contempt of court.
Justice Adefunmilola Demi-Ajayi issued the committal order on Monday, September 29, 2025—just before Yakubu stepped down from office—after the former INEC boss failed to implement a previous court judgment.
Disobedience of Court Order
The arrest warrant stems from a suit filed by the Action Alliance (AA) party, which sought to compel INEC and Yakubu to re-enlist the names of the Rufai Omoaje-led National Executive of the party on the Commission’s portal, alleging they had been illegally removed.
The certified copy of the court order, obtained by Vanguard, explicitly sought:
“AN ORDER of committal to the Correctional Centre (formerly Prison) of the 1st Defendant (INEC) and the 2nd Defendant (Prof. Mahmood Yakubu) (Contemnors) for disobeying the Judgement/Orders of the Federal High Court, Osogbo, Osun State in Suit No: FHC/OS/CS/194/2024 delivered on the 17th of February 2025.”
The court also mandated specific enforcement action, ordering that: “That the Inspector General of Police shall cause the arrest and shall charge the Defendants/Judgement Debtors for contempt and committal proceedings within 7 days of this Ruling.”
Yakubu’s tenure as INEC Chairman ended on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, after which Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu took over as the acting head of the commission.
