NRM: Amupitan appears in court March 10 over contempt charge

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has told the Abuja division of the Federal High Court that its Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan would appear before it on March 10, to answer a contempt charge filed against him by the National Rescue Movement (NRM).

Counsel to the commission, Muktar Bawa, gave the assurance yesterday when the committal proceedings came up before Justice Obiora Egwatu.

The court had, in July last year, summoned former INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to appear before it on October 8, to show cause why he should not be jailed for wilfully disobeying the order of the court.

Justice Egwuatu had, in a judgment delivered on March 5, 2025 in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/45/2025, ordered INEC to recognise the Edozie Njoku-led committee as the national leadership of the NRM. 

However, following the commission’s refusal to obey the court order, the NRM subsequently initiated contempt proceedings against Yakubu by filing Forms 48 and 49.

At the proceedings of July last year, Egwuatu held that a contempt proceeding is a criminal charge, which requires that the contemnor must be present in court.

The judge, who expressed dismay that in view of the consequences of committal charge, Prof. Yakubu, decided not to be in court to purge himself of the charge, fixed October 8, 2025, for the INEC chairman to appear before the court.

However, following the expiration of Yakubu’s tenure as INEC chairman, President Bola Tinubu had, in November last year, appointed Amupitan, a professor of law as new INEC chairman. When the matter came up yesterday, counsel to the NRM, Oladimeji Ekengba, informed the court that the defendant was not in court to purge himself of contempt allegations against him.

Responding, Bawa told the judge that Amupitan was currently not in the country but would be in court on the next adjourned date.

He subsequently pleaded with the court for a short adjournment suggesting March 10.

With the agreement of the plaintiff, Justice Egwuatu subsequently adjourned to Tuesday next week, for Amupitan, who replaced Prof. Yakubu to appear before him and show cause why he should not be jailed for disobeying a valid order of court.

The judge at the proceedings of last year had expressed curiosity as to why Yakubu had problem obeying a simple court order, adding that INEC’s meddlesomeness in party’s internal wrangling puts a caveat on the commission’s neutrality.

The judge had advised the INEC lawyers that while it was within their professional right to defend Yakubu as the Chairman of INEC and that disobedience to court judgment reduces the integrity of the court and the legal profession into a circus.

The NRM had on January 16, 2025, obtained an order compelling the INEC to monitor its emergency national convention on January 17, 2025, which the electoral body was duly notified.

Consequently, on March 5, 2025, the Court gave judgment on the substantive matter, making it abundantly clear that the Commission erred by its refusal to monitor the emergency national convention and by its decision not to recognise the outcome of the convention.

The Court made declaratory orders that INEC was bound by the law to accept and recognise the national executives of the party that emerged from the convention.

Unfortunately, in its counter affidavit filed against the NRM committal proceedings, Joan Arabs, the Director of Election and Party Monitoring (EPM) of INEC, claimed that the court judgment was in the futuristic terms, a claim the judge debunked.