By John Dike, Osogbo
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has described media reports suggesting a fresh order for the arrest of its immediate past Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, as misleading and factually incorrect
Also, it denied allegations of disobedience to a court order issued by the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, regarding a leadership dispute within the Action Alliance (AA) political party.
It clarified the situation in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun, .
The Commission said the reports falsely presented the issue as a personal case against Prof. Yakubu, whereas the matter concerns INEC as a corporate entity.
It also pointed out that the publications failed to acknowledge its compliance with the court’s original ruling.
INEC explained that following the Federal High Court’s judgement delivered on September 29, 2025, it acted within the stipulated timeframe by filing relevant documents on October 6, 2025, to demonstrate compliance.
The Commission stated that it had recognised the AA executive elected on October 7, 2023, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and presented a screenshot from its website dashboard as proof of compliance.
However, the judgment creditors reportedly filed a counter affidavit, alleging that INEC had only partially complied by failing to include the name of the party’s National Chairman, Mr. Rufai Omoaje.
In its defence, INEC noted that Mr. Omoaje had filed a Notice of Appeal at the Supreme Court, challenging a previous Court of Appeal decision that removed him as National Chairman. The Commission emphasized that the appellate court’s ruling takes precedence over the Federal High Court’s judgement.
“The judgement of the Court of Appeal is superior to that of the Federal High Court; hence, the Commission cannot list Omoaje’s name as the Chairman of the Action Alliance party when the judgement of the Appeal Court is still subsisting,” the statement read.
INEC reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the rule of law and respecting judicial processes. It also urged media organisations to fact-check their reports before publication in order to avoid misleading the public.
