The leadership of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) has threatened to file a contempt charge against the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, over alleged refusal to recognise Chief Edozie Njoku as its national chairman.
The NRM said INEC’s refusal to accord due recognition to Njoku-led leadership was in total disobedience to court judgment.
Njoku stated this while speaking to newsmen on Thursday at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Asokoro in Abuja.
He, however, expressed optimism that INEC would recognise him and the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, having not appealed the judgment of Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja.
“The party (INEC) is in direct disobedience of the subsisting orders of the court in which it did not utilise their 90 days’ window to appeal both the ex-parte order and judgement as stipulated by law.
“Pertinently, the commission was a party to this suit and was duly represented throughout the matter.
“We have written to INEC and forwarded the court orders to them, hoping they will act accordingly,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Njoku and other members of the NRM leadership were elected on Jan. 17 at the emergency national convention of the party held in Abuja.
However, Njoku’s emergence as national chairman of NRM, the INEC chairman had allegedly refused to recognise him and the NEC members as leaders of the party despite an order of court to do so.
Before the emergency national convention, NRM had approached the court seeking an ex-parte order to impel INEC to monitor the said convention.
NRM had prayed the court for; “leave to apply for a writ of mandamus compelling the respondent (INEC) to perform its official duty as contained in Sections 82(1) & 83 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022 by monitoring the emergency national convention of the applicant (NRM) following the depletion and the lopsidedness in the National Executive Committee of the applicant.”
On Jan.16, the NRM secured an order of the Federal High Court Abuja, mandating the electoral body to “monitor and accept” the outcome of the exercise.
Also, Justice Egwuatu of the FHC had, on March 5, delivered a judgment in the suit marked
FHC/ABJ/CS/45/2025, ordering the INEC to recognise Njoku and those who emerged from the emergency convention as authentic leaders of the party.
Meanwhile, counsel to NRM, Joe Agi, SAN, in a letter dated June 4 and addressed to INEC chairman, urged him to purge himself of the contemptuous act.
The letter reads: “It is abundantly clear that the orders of the court were very explicit: to monitor and accept the outcome of the said convention.
“The commission, for reasons best known to them, refused neither to monitor the convention of January 17, 2025, nor accept the outcome of the emergency national convention.
“Going forward, INEC did not take up their option to appeal, either the order of January 16, 2025, or the judgment of March 5, 2025, up until now that their 90 days period of appeal has elapsed” the party wrote.
“Consequently, the NRM leadership has vowed to begin a contempt proceeding against INEC if it fails to do the needful.
“Sir, we have laboured to cite the above relevant judgments of our courts and to also notify you that we have commenced a contempt proceeding against you.
“We urge you to obey the judgment of the court and purge yourself of this contemptuous act.
“Should you fail, we shall not hesitate to urge the court to commit you to prison in line with the rule of law. A stitch in time, saves nine.”
NAN
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