INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, Escapes Arrest After Partial Compliance with Osogbo Federal High Court Judgment on Action Alliance Leadership Crisis

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has narrowly avoided arrest by the Nigerian Police Force following his partial compliance with a Federal High Court judgment delivered in Osogbo, Osun State.

The judgment, issued by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi, directed the INEC boss to restore the name of the Action Alliance (AA) National Chairman, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, and members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to the Commission’s official portal. The court also ordered that the names of all state chairmen elected under Omoaje’s leadership be uploaded on the portal without further delay.

According to reports, INEC complied with part of the ruling by reinstating the names of the state chairmen on its website. However, the Commission only partially adhered to the aspect concerning the NEC, as it included the names of NEC members but omitted both Omoaje’s name and the official address of the party’s national secretariat.

In a controversial twist, the name of Kenneth Udeze, who was previously suspended and expelled from the party still appears on the INEC portal, a move described by party insiders as a deliberate defiance of the court’s order.

The Action Alliance had elected its current National Executive Committee at a national convention held on October 7, 2023, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The convention ratified Adekunle Rufai Omoaje as National Chairman and affirmed other principal officers across the federation.

Following INEC’s failure to fully comply, the Federal High Court directed the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest Professor Yakubu if he did not implement the ruling completely within seven days. 

However, despite the deadline passing, the INEC Chairman was not arrested, raising questions about the enforcement of judicial orders against top government officials.

Reacting to the development, the Action Alliance, through its Osun State Chairman, Araoye Oyewole, filed a counter-affidavit before the Federal High Court on October 2, 2025. The affidavit accused INEC and its chairman of deliberate partial compliance and urged the court to compel full adherence to its ruling.

Oyewole maintained that “while the names of all state chairmen have been restored to the INEC portal, the judgment specifically mandating 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.”

The matter remains before the court, with the Action Alliance pressing for total enforcement of the judgment to ensure full recognition of its legitimate leadership as declared by the court.

Legal observers note that the unfolding development could test the judiciary’s resolve in compelling statutory institutions to obey lawful orders, as well as challenge INEC’s credibility in handling internal party leadership crises ahead of future elections.