Abuja court insists on INEC chairman’s arrest

A Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday insisted that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Mahmood Yakubu be arrested and brought before it.

The court, presided over by Justice Stephen Pam, therefore ordered the Inspector-General of Police to produce him in court on August 16.

It would be recalled that the Court of Appeal, Abuja division, had on Monday ordered the High Court to stay execution on the bench warrant issued by Justice Pam. It also ordered the court to stay off the contempt case until the determination of the appeal brought before it by Prof Yakubu.

Justice Pam however gave the order following the absence of Yakubu’s team of lawyers in court, without any explanation as to why they were absent.

Justice Pam said: “At the commencement of proceedings, counsel for the applicant, Kanayo Okafor, informed the court that the Court of Appeal on Monday asked the court to stay proceedings in the matter.

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“The counsel for the respondent is not in court and no reason has been given for their absence.

“The contempt proceedings and the bench warrant issued for the arrest of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman still subsists, the I-G is to carry out the order of the arrest of Yakubu.

“This court being a court of record has nothing to prove that there was an order for stay from the Court of Appeal.”

A lawyer in the team of Prof Yakubu’s counsel however walked in while the judge was giving his ruling and tried to call the attention of the judge to his presence, but the judge ignored him and adjourned the case to August 16.

 

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