Court Dismisses Contempt Charge Against INEC Chairman

On March 5, 2025, the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, struck out a contempt charge against the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmoud Yakubu. The contempt proceedings were initiated by the National Rescue Movement (NRM) led by Edozi Njoku, following Yakubu's alleged disobedience to a court order.

The court found that the application for contempt failed to properly serve the necessary documents to Yakubu, as required by law. Justice Abdulmalik noted that the contempt charge was of a semi-criminal nature and ruled that the application did not adequately support its claims.

The case was previously reassigned to Justice Abdulmalik after Justice Egwuatu recused himself. Following the ruling, Chinedu Obi, a faction chairman of the NRM, commended the court's decision, emphasizing the implications for participation in the upcoming 2027 general elections.