INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu Avoids Arrest After Partial Compliance with Court Order on Action Alliance Leadership
Rewritten Story: Written by Zara October 7,2025
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has narrowly avoided arrest by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force after partially complying with a Federal High Court order directing him to restore the authentic leadership of the Action Alliance (AA) on the commission’s official portal.
The court, sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, and presided over by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi, had on Monday, September 29, 2025, ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest Yakubu should he fail to upload the name of Adekunle Rufai Omoaje as the National Chairman of the Action Alliance, alongside the names of other National Executive Committee (NEC) members, within seven days.
INEC’s Partial Compliance
Following the ultimatum, INEC updated its portal with the names of the state chairmen elected under Omoaje’s leadership and also listed the party’s NEC members. However, the electoral body allegedly excluded Omoaje’s name as national chairman and omitted the official address of the party’s national secretariat — actions that fall short of full compliance with the court’s judgment.
Despite the update, the name of Kenneth Udeze, a former AA leader who was suspended and expelled, still appeared on the INEC website as of press time, in defiance of the court ruling.
Legal Countermoves
In response, the Osun State chairman of the Action Alliance, Mr. Araoye Oyewole, filed a counter-affidavit before the Federal High Court, accusing INEC and Prof. Yakubu of failing to fully comply with the judgment in suit number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024.
Oyewole stated that while INEC had restored the names of the state chairmen, it ignored the crucial aspect of the judgment which directed full recognition of Adekunle Rufai Omoaje as the legitimate national chairman.
“The judgment debtors only partially complied with the orders of the court,” Oyewole affirmed, urging the court to compel INEC and its chairman to implement the ruling in full.
The Action Alliance had held its national convention on October 7, 2023, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State, where Omoaje and his NEC were duly elected.
Meanwhile, INEC has filed a motion on notice claiming it has complied with the judgment — a claim now being challenged by the Omoaje-led faction before the court.
