The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has avoided arrest by the Nigerian Police Force despite partially complying with a Federal High Court ruling in Osogbo, Osun State.
The court, presided over by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi, had ordered Yakubu to restore the name of the Action Alliance (AA) National Chairman, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, along with the full list of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), to INEC’s official portal.
The judgment also mandated the posting of the names of all state chairmen elected under Omoaje’s leadership.
While INEC restored the names of all state chairmen, it only partially complied with the NEC directive.
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The portal now lists NEC members but omits Omoaje’s name and the address of the party’s national secretariat.
Additionally, the name of Kenneth Udeze, who had been suspended and expelled from the party, still appears on the website — contrary to the court’s orders.
The Action Alliance had elected its NEC at a national convention on October 7, 2023, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Following INEC’s partial compliance, Justice Demi-Ajayi directed Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to arrest Yakubu if he failed to fully implement the ruling within seven days. However, Yakubu was not arrested.
In response, the Action Alliance, through its Osun State Chairman, Araoye Oyewole, filed a counter-affidavit before the Federal High Court on October 2, 2025, insisting that INEC and Yakubu had failed to fully comply with the judgment.
Oyewole emphasised that the court order specifically mandated the recognition of Omoaje as National Chairman, which has not been done.
“While the names of all the state chairmen have been restored, the part of the judgment that specifically mandated recognition of Adekunle Rufai Omoaje as National Chairman has not been followed.
The judgment debtors have only partially complied with the court’s orders in suit number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024,” Oyewole stated.
The case is ongoing, with the party seeking full enforcement of the court’s ruling.
Observers have raised concerns that INEC’s partial compliance could set a dangerous precedent, undermining court authority and fueling doubts about the independence of Nigeria’s electoral body.
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