Court Approves Suit Seeking to Commit INEC Chairman Yakubu to Prison, Sets Hearing Date

A date has been set by the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Bwari for the hearing of a motion that seeks to hold Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in contempt of court. This motion, scheduled for September 14, alleges that Yakubu failed to comply with a court order.

According to ThePressNG, Otunba Ogidan and Mustapha Rabiu, who were elected as the national vice chairman of the southwest geopolitical zone of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and national welfare officer, respectively, during a convention in Owerri, Imo State, on May 31, 2019, filed this motion.

In their application, Ogidan and Rabiu claim that Yakubu violated the court’s interim injunction issued on May 10, which directed all parties involved in the case to maintain the status quo until the substantive suit is resolved, set for September 28.

They specifically accused Yakubu of refusing to recognise Edozie Njoku, the national chairman of APGA, as the rightful national chairman of the party, and of publishing names of governorship candidates for the November 11 off-cycle governorship polls in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa, which did not emanate from Njoku.

The plaintiffs also alleged that INEC continued to recognise Victor Oye, the factional chairman of APGA, as the national chairman of the party, in disobedience to the court order.

They further alleged that Oye held a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party in disobedience to the court injunction, which barred him from calling any meeting or holding any campaign or convention in the name of the party.

When the matter was called on Monday, the court’s chief registrar, Joseph Igboyi, confirmed that the motion seeking to commit Yakubu to prison had been served on him on July 13. However, the original copy of the proof of service could not be found in the court file.

The bailiff, Musa Abdulwahab, admitted that he removed the original copy of the proof of service from the file, but did not state why he did so.

The hearing on Oye’s matter has been adjourned to September 28 by the presiding judge, Mohammed Madugu, for further hearing.