INEC Chairman Prof Yakubu Mahmood has been served a contempt charge over failure to comply with a court order recognising NRM’s new leadership
The Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Yakubu Mahmood, has officially been served a contempt proceeding notice following a court order granted to the National Rescue Mission (NRM) political party.
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The contempt charge stems from INEC’s alleged refusal to recognise the leadership of Chief Edozie Njoku, as directed in a March 5, 2025, ruling by Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
That judgment upheld the outcome of the NRM’s emergency convention held on January 17, which sought to correct leadership imbalances within the party.
A court bailiff, Ayuba Sule, executed the substituted service of Form 48—an official notice of the consequences of disobeying a court order—at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja on June 17.
Though INEC staff declined to accept the documents directly, the bailiff left them at the commission’s legal department in accordance with the court’s directive.
Form 48 is the first step in initiating contempt and committal proceedings, signalling the court’s intention to enforce its judgment.
In a statement issued by the NRM’s National Publicity Secretary, Anselem Chinedu Nebeife, the party confirmed the development, stating that INEC had willfully disobeyed the judgment despite being aware of its contents and having been served an enrolled copy.
NRM’s legal counsel, Oladimeji Ekengba, argued that the INEC Chairman placed institutional barriers that made it “practically impossible” to serve him personally. As such, the court approved substituted service via any commission staff member.
Ekengba stressed that the refusal to comply with the mandamus order undermines the authority of the judiciary and must be addressed to preserve the rule of law.
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The court has adjourned the matter until July 15 for further mention.