NRM: Contempt trial of INEC Chairman, Amupitan shifts to March 13

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The contempt proceedings against the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Joash Amupitan has been shifted to March 13 by the Abuja division of the Federal High Court.

Amupitan was scheduled to appear before the court yesterday to answer contempt charge filed against him by the National Rescue Movement (NRM).
However, the proceedings could not hold because the court did not sit and the case was rescheduled for March 13, 2026.

At the last adjourned date, counsel to the commission, Muktar Bawa, assured the court that the INEC chairman was going to personally appear in court.
The court had in last July summoned former INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to appear before it on October 8, to show cause why he should not be jailed for willfully disobeying the order of the court.

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

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

At the proceedings of July last year, Justice 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 on Wednesday, 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, will be in court on the next adjourned date.

He subsequently pleaded with the court for a short adjournment suggesting March 10, 2026.

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 Mahmood Yakubu, has problem obeying a simple court order, adding that INEC meddlesomeness in party’s internal wrangling puts a caveat on the commission’s neutrality.

The judge had advised the INEC lawyers that while it is within their professional right to defend Mahmood as the Chairman of INEC, that disobedience to Court Judgment reduces the integrity of the court and the legal profession into circus.

NRM had on January 16, 2025, obtained an order compelling INEC to monitor its Emergency National Convention, held 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 recognize the outcome of the convention.

The Court made declaratory orders that INEC is bound by the law to accept and recognize 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.