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 charge was 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 did not properly serve the necessary court documents to the defendant, which is a requirement under the law. Justice Abdulmalik noted that the contempt charge was of a semi-criminal nature and emphasized that the application failed to establish its case.

The matter had previously been reassigned to Justice Abdulmalik after Justice Egwuatu recused himself. Following the ruling, Chinedu Obi, the faction's chairman, commended the court's decision to strike out the contempt charge, indicating that it clarified the NRM's position ahead of the 2027 general elections.