Contempt Charge: Court orders INEC Chairman to appear on March 10

2026-03-04 - 16:47

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri ABUJA– The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, summoned the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, to appear before it on March 10 to face a contempt charge the National Rescue Mission, NRM, initiated against him. Justice Obiora Egwuatu okayed the hearing of the charge after counsel to the Commission, Mr. M. S. Bawa, pleaded for an adjournment to enable him to secure the presence of the INEC boss in court. Bawa explained that Prof. Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, had faced an emergency that made it impossible for him to attend the proceedings. Besides, the INEC lawyer disclosed that he had also filed a counter-affidavit to challenge the competence of the charge and to apply for it to be quashed. Counsel to the NRM, Mr. Oladimeji Ekengba, had, after the case was called, drawn the court’s attention to the absence of the INEC Chairman, insisting that he was supposed to be in the dock. “My Lord, this is a contempt charge that requires the defendant to be present in the dock while the proceedings are ongoing. We wonder why he is not here today,” Ekengba added. Before the matter was adjourned, Justice Egwuatu ordered service of a fresh hearing notice on the INEC Chairman.The court had earlier issued an order for substituted service of the contempt charge on the defendant. It directed that a Form 48—which is a notice of the consequences of disobeying a court order—be served on the INEC chairman by handing it to any staff member at the commission’s national headquarters. The order followed an ex-parte motion filed by the NRM. The applicant alleged that INEC and its chairman had spurned a mandamus order made by the court on March 5, 2025, directing them to accept the outcome of an emergency convention that produced the Chief Edozie Njoku-led executives of the party. Ekengba said the essence of the emergency convention, held on January 17, 2025, was to fill vacancies and correct lopsidedness in the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NRM. “That the Respondent is aware that the emergency convention the subject matter of the judgment was held on 17th January, 2025, even by its own processes before this Honourable Court. “Notwithstanding that the Judgment Debtor/Respondent’s Counsel by name M.A. Bawa was in Court when the Judgment was delivered, the Judgment Creditor took the pain to still serve the Judgment Debtor/Respondent with a copy of the Enrolled Order of the Judgment. “Despite being aware, the Judgment Debtor (INEC) refused to comply with the judgment of this Honourable Court till date. “In order not to reduce this Honourable Court to a toothless bulldog, and also to enhance the cause of justice, the Registrar of this Honourable Court on the application of the Judgment Creditor, issued FORM 48 to be served on the Chairman of the Respondent in order for him to show cause why he should not be committed to prison for failing to comply with the judgment of this Honourable Court,” the NRM added in an affidavit it filed in support of the motion. Among those in court on Wednesday for the case were national officers of the NRM, who were led by the Chairman, Chief Njoku. Speaking to journalists after the matter was adjourned, Chief Njoku said he was hopeful that the INEC Chairman would comply with the court judgment by recognizing the NRM leadership.