The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has partially complied with a Federal High Court judgment regarding the recognition of the Action Alliance (AA) party leadership, narrowly escaping arrest ordered by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The Osogbo Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi, had directed Yakubu to restore the name of Adekunle Rufai Omoaje as the Action Alliance National Chairman, along with the full list of party executives, to INEC’s official portal. While INEC reinstated the names of the state chairmen elected under Omoaje’s leadership, it omitted Omoaje’s name and the party’s national secretariat address from the portal. Additionally, the name of Kenneth Udeze, a suspended and expelled individual, remained listed.
Following this partial compliance, the court gave the IGP a seven-day ultimatum to arrest Yakubu for disobedience. However, since the partial compliance fell short of full enforcement, Yakubu was not arrested. The Action Alliance’s Osun State Chairman, Araoye Oyewole, filed a counter-affidavit emphasizing INEC’s failure to fully adhere to the court’s order.
This legal dispute stems from INEC’s refusal to recognize Omoaje’s leadership, despite court rulings affirming the validity of the Action Alliance’s national convention held in 2023. The ongoing case highlights tensions between the electoral commission and political parties over leadership recognition and compliance with judicial rulings.