From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The National Rescue Movement (NRM) has fast-tracked its legal move to send the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, to jail by the service of Form 49 on him.
The Form 49, which is a legal instrument for committal proceedings against a person found to be in disobedience of a subsisting order of court, was served on the INEC chairman by a bailiff of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Ayuba Sule.
With this development, Prof. Yakubu risks a jail term if he fails to justify why he should not be committed to prison for disobeying a court order.
Form 49 is served on an alleged contemnor after he has been served with Form 48, which warns of the consequences of disobeying a court order.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu had, on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, ordered INEC to accept and recognise the outcomes of the party’s Emergency National Convention, held on Friday, January 17, 2025, that produced the Chief Edozie Njoku-led national executives of the NRM.
A statement yesterday by the spokesperson of the NRM, Chinedu Anselm, said, “By the service of Form 49, Mahmoud has just a few days to comply with the judgment of the court, or he will be docked in the court, where he will have to explain to the court why he has refused to obey its judgment.” The statement by NRM, signed by its spokesperson, Chinedu Anselm, said, “If history is anything to go by, Mahmoud’s defiance to court orders and judgments may have earned him an indelible scar that can make him easily identifiable wherever he goes.
“The party is resolute in its determination to prove to Nigerians that our primary duty as citizens is to hold public office holders accountable and ensure they operate within the frames of the law. They must not be allowed to play God.
“And for us in the NRM, our determination and resolve are a clarion call on Nigerians that the rule of law must prevail,” the party stated.