A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted an order for substituted service of Form 48, a notice of contempt proceedings, on the Chairman of the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu.
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, followed an ex parte motion filed by the National Rescue Mission (NRM), alleging that INEC and its Chairman disobeyed a valid court order issued earlier this year.
The NRM, through its legal team led by Mr. Oladimeji Ekengba, told the court that INEC had failed to comply with a judgment delivered on March 5, 2025, which directed the commission to recognise the outcome of the party’s emergency national convention held on January 17.
The convention had produced a new leadership for the party, led by Chief Edozie Njoku, to correct what the party described as “lopsidedness” in its National Executive Committee.
“Despite being present in court when the judgment was delivered and being duly served with the Enrolled Order, INEC has refused to comply,” Ekengba said.
The NRM, in a supporting affidavit deposed to by Mr. Adebayo Wasiu, said efforts to personally serve Prof. Mahmood Yakubu had proved futile due to strict security protocols at the INEC headquarters.
“The INEC Chairman is shielded by layers of protocol, and the Commission only accepts court processes at a designated registry at its gate,” the affidavit read.
