Court Order, INEC Chairman Appeals Against Arrest Warrant

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman

According to Agency Report, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has filed an appeal challenging the arrest warrant issued against him by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Prof. Yakubu in the appeal, is challenging the validity of the arrest warrant that was issued against him by the court.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the appeal filed by Adegbeoyega Awomolo (SAN), counsel to the appellant, was made available to Newsmwn on Thursday in Abuja.

Yakubu maintained that he could not be arrested on the basis of a bench warrant that was legally defective.

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He urged the Court of Appeal to invoke its powers and void the arrest order made by Justice Stephen Pam.

Mr Pam had in a bench ruling on Wednesday ordered the police to arrest and produce Mr Yakubu in court on August 8 to face contempt charges.

The order followed Mr Yakubu’s failure to honour a summons the court issued for him to appear in respect of a suit involving the Anambra chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The INEC chairman had between July 5 and July 10 allegedly failed to honour the court’s summons to defend a contempt proceeding.

The case was initiated against him by Ejike Oguebego, the chairman of PDP, and Chuks Okoye, the Legal Adviser of the party, in Anambra.

The Federal High Court had ordered the INEC Chairman to appear to show cause why he should not be committed to prison for refusing to recognise the Oguebego-led faction of the party in line with the judgment of the Supreme Court.

The applicants had prayed the court to jail the chairman for disregarding the judgment.

Mr Yakubu, however, denied disobeying any order of court, adding that he was denied fair hearing by the trial court.

The INEC boss said there was no evidence that any court summons was enrolled and served him.

He argued that the lower court erred in law when it ordered that he should be arrested for allegedly disobeying its order.

Prof. Yakubu therefore, urged the appellate court to hold that the conditions necessary to warrant the issuance of bench warrant had not been met. (NAN)

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