The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has been served with Form 49 by the Federal High Court in Abuja, escalating a legal dispute between the electoral body and the National Rescue Movement (NRM).
The form was served on Tuesday by court bailiff Ayuba Sule on behalf of the NRM. This comes just a week after Yakubu was earlier served with Form 48, which serves as a warning for failure to comply with a court order.
Form 49 is a consequential legal instrument in Nigerian jurisprudence, requiring a person alleged to be in contempt of court to appear and show cause why they should not be committed to prison for disobedience of a lawful court order.
It is issued when the contemnor fails to act on Form 48 within two days.
The action stems from the March 5, 2025 judgment delivered by Justice Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, which ordered INEC to accept and recognize the outcome of the NRM’s Emergency National Convention held on January 17, 2025.
In a statement issued by NRM’s spokesperson, Chinedu Anselem, the party warned that Yakubu risks being docked if he continues to defy the court’s ruling.
“By the service of Form 49, Mahmood 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 why he has refused to obey its judgment,” the statement read.
“If history is anything to go by, Mahmood’s defiance to court orders and judgments may have earned him an indelible scar that can make him easily identifiable wherever he goes.
“Our determination and resolve are a clarion call on Nigerians that the rule of law must prevail. Public officials must be held accountable—they must not be allowed to play God,” Anselem added.
Responding to a question from the Press during a media interaction on Wednesday, INEC Chairman Prof. Yakubu downplayed the development, saying, “I am used to being served Form 48 and Form 49.”
The Commission’s legal adviser, however, assured that efforts were already underway to resolve the matter.
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