Court Orders Police To Arrest INEC Chairman For Contempt

Chief Magistrate F. Oyekan, the lead member of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Election Tribunal  has ordered the arrest of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for contempt of court.

Naija News understands that the court ordered the arrest while ruling on the application moved by C.I. Okoye leading Simon Daudu and A.J Adagami in Petition No FCT/ACET/EP/7/2022 which was delivered by K.L. Appah.

The tribunal made the order due to the failure of the electoral body chairman to produce documents named in the subpoena served to him on July 22, 2022, in the case.

The court described Yakubu’s dismissive action as flagrant disobedience which must attract consequences.

It, therefore, ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) or the Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to arrest the INEC boss and produce him before the tribunal on Friday, July 29 to show cause why he should not be committed to prison for contempt of court.

We Can’t Do Much About Ending Vote Buying – INEC

INEC has said its official duty is to prepare for and conduct polls and not to monitor vote buyers during elections, Naija News reports.

The electoral body’s Commissioner for the North Central (Niger, Kogi and Kwara States), Prof. Mohammed Sani Adam said vote buying is a national issue, a sociological problem which is targeted at jeopardizing the process of credible elections in the country.

Adam made the assertions in Minna, Niger State capital during a visit to monitor the ongoing voter registration exercise in the state.

INEC has nothing to do as far as vote buying is concerned, what INEC can only do is to ensure that the polls are free, fair and all-encompassing, and also to ensure that polling units, security, materials and the process of the polling are fully observed according to the electoral act,” Adam noted.