INEC Denies Disobeying Court Order, Clarifies Osun Judgement Compliance

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed reports suggesting that it violated a court order or that a fresh warrant was issued for the arrest of its immediate-past chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, over a case involving the Action Alliance (AA) party.

In a statement posted on its official X handle on Friday, the Commission described the viral reports of court contempt as “misleading and mischievous,” stressing that it had already complied with the ruling of the Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State.

The statement, signed by INEC’s National Commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, clarified that the court order in question was made on September 29, 2025, and that INEC acted within the stipulated timeframe to fulfil its obligations.

“In line with its long-established tradition of always obeying court judgements and orders, the Commission on Monday 6th October 2025, which was still within the deadline, filed processes at the Federal High Court, Osogbo to show that we had complied with its judgement and order of recognising the Action Alliance’s (AA) executive elected on 7th October 2023 at Abeokuta, Ogun State,” Olumekun stated.

He added that INEC even presented evidence of compliance to the court, including its website dashboard showing that the AA executives had been duly recognised.

However, Olumekun explained that the matter became complicated when the judgement creditors, those who brought the case, filed a counter affidavit, arguing that INEC’s compliance was partial because it listed only four national executives and omitted the name of the AA National Chairman, Rufai Omoaje.

According to INEC, the omission was deliberate and legally justified.

“The Commission responded by attaching the Notice of Appeal filed by the same Omoaje at the Supreme Court, challenging the judgement of the Court of Appeal sacking him as the National Chairman of the party,”the statement read.

INEC further stressed that it could not recognise Omoaje as chairman since “the judgement of the Court of Appeal is superior to that of the Federal High Court.”

Olumekun urged media organisations to verify facts before publication to prevent the spread of misinformation.

“We appeal to media organisations to fact-check their reports before publication to avoid misleading the public,” he added.

The Commission reiterated that the case was a corporate matter involving INEC as an institution, not an individual issue involving Prof. Yakubu, who had left office.

LEADERSHIP reports that the controversy began after reports emerged claiming that the Federal High Court in Osogbo had ordered the arrest of Prof. Yakubu for alleged contempt of court. INEC’s clarification appears to be an effort to quell the mounting speculation and reinforce its position as an institution that “always obeys court judgements and orders.”