INEC Chairman Yakubu Risks Jail Over Contempt
The Federal high court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission and its chairman Yakubu Mahmud to appear before it at the next adjourned date, to show a cause why they should not be committed to prison for contempt.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu
Justice Stephen pam gave the directive in a ruling on Thursday after dismissing a preliminary objection filed by the INEC chairman and the commission challenging the contempt suit brought against them by the Ejike Ogbebego-led committee of the People’s Democratic Party in Anambra state.
The trial judge in dismissing the application disagreed with the stance of the INEC chairman that the contempt suit against him amounts to forum shopping and an abuse of court process, adding that contempt is a serious offense on grounds that there is a similar suit pending in the federal high court against the INEC chairman on the same subject matter.
On whether the applicants have no Locus Standi to file the suit, justice pam held that the INEC chairman has failed to establish his claims by providing any material evidence before the court to prove that the tenure of the applicants had elapsed.
A date for further hearing will be communicated to the parties in the suit pending the directive by the Chief Judge federal high court, Justice Abdul Kafarati.
The plaintiff, Obgbebego in 2015 had filed a suit seeking the court determination on who the legal and validly nominated candidates of the party is.
The court had earlier issued a notice of consequences of disobedience to court order against, INEC, and professor Mahmood Yakubu for failure to obey court verdict.
