Court Orders Arrest of Former INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu for Contempt of Court

In a dramatic post-tenure twist, the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has ordered the arrest of former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, over alleged contempt of court.

The directive, issued barely hours after Yakubu officially vacated office, adds a sharp legal sting to the end of his controversial tenure.

The arrest order was given on October 7, 2025, by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi, following a motion by the Action Alliance (AA) party accusing Yakubu and INEC of flagrant disobedience of a subsisting court order. The case, marked FHC/OS/CS/194/2024, had earlier compelled INEC to recognize and upload the names of Adekunle Rufai Omoaje and his National Executive Committee (NEC) members as the authentic leadership of the party.

In her previous ruling, Justice Demi-Ajayi declared that the AA elective convention held on October 7, 2023, which produced Omoaje as national chairman, was validly conducted and properly monitored by INEC officials in accordance with the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution. The judgment effectively affirmed Omoaje’s leadership and ordered INEC to update its records and official portal to reflect the decision.

However, despite INEC’s claim of partial compliance, the Action Alliance filed a fresh application accusing the electoral body and its then-chairman of willfully ignoring the order by failing to list Omoaje’s name on the commission’s website. The party’s counsel argued that INEC’s omission amounted to “institutional contempt and deliberate sabotage of judicial authority.”

In the new order signed by court registrar O.M. Kilani, the court directed Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to arrest Prof. Yakubu “forthwith” and produce him before the court to face committal proceedings for contempt within seven days. The court also awarded a ₦100,000 cost against the judgment creditors.

Legal analysts have described the ruling as “unprecedented,” marking one of the few times a sitting or former INEC chairman has faced an arrest order over electoral disobedience. “This is a powerful message that even top public officials cannot operate above judicial authority,” said constitutional lawyer Dr. Monday Ubani, who noted that the timing—immediately after Yakubu’s exit—suggests the court may have deliberately waited to avoid a direct institutional crisis.

The development has triggered widespread reactions across social media. On X (formerly Twitter), Nigerians expressed mixed feelings. Some users celebrated the decision as “a long-overdue reckoning,” accusing Yakubu of “compromising democracy” during previous elections. Others, however, viewed it as “political payback,” suggesting the Action Alliance may be leveraging the courts for influence ahead of 2027 political realignments.

Yakubu, who served two terms as INEC chairman from 2015 to 2025, oversaw three general elections and remains a polarizing figure in Nigeria’s democratic history. His tenure was marked by major technological reforms such as the BVAS and IReV portal, but also by widespread controversy over election logistics, transmission delays, and disputed results, particularly during the 2023 presidential election.

As of press time, neither INEC nor Prof. Yakubu has issued an official response to the court’s arrest directive. However, sources close to the commission say the former chairman’s legal team is expected to file an appeal or stay of execution within the week to halt enforcement of the order.

If enforced, the arrest could make Mahmood Yakubu the first former INEC chairman in Nigeria’s history to be detained for contempt of court — a development that may redefine the accountability standards for electoral officials in the country.

As one user on X aptly summed up the public mood: “For once, a powerful man might actually answer to the law. Let’s see if justice truly works in Nigeria.”