Court halts arrest of INEC chairman

The Abuja division of the court of appeal has ordered stay of execution on the arrest warrant issued against Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

At its sitting on Monday, the court ordered that the matter be put on hold pending the outcome of Yakubu’s initial appeal in the case.

Stephen Pam, a judge of the federal high court, had issued the warrant after the INEC chairman failed to appear before him for the third consecutive time.

Yakubu had been asked to appear and defend a case filed against him by Ejike Oguebego and Chuks Okoye, chairman, and legal adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra state, respectively.

Before the arrest warrant was issued, Adeboyega Awomolo, counsel to the INEC chairman, had informed the court that his client filed an appeal challenging the initial summon before the federal high court which sought for a stay of proceedings pending the determination of the appeal.

Giving its ruling on an application filed by Yakubu, a three-man panel of the appellate court, ruled that since the original appeal filed against the summon is yet to be determined, it would be prejudicial for the court to proceed with the hearing of the case.

Abdul Aboki who read the judgement subsequently adjourned the hearing of the original suit to September 17.

Oguebego filed the contempt charges against the INEC chairman for his refusal to recognise him as PDP chairman in Anambra.

This was in compliance with a supreme court judgment of December 2014.