Contempt Case: INEC Staff Said to Have Declined Accepting Court Summons for Yakubu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is embroiled in a new legal dispute after employees allegedly refused to accept court documents intended for Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the commission’s chairman. Form 48, a legal notice of the consequences of defying a court order, was one of the documents that were to be served as part of the contempt proceedings brought against the INEC boss.

Anselem Nebeife, the National Rescue Movement’s (NRM) national publicity secretary, sounded the alert in Abuja on Friday, June 20, 2025. According to Nebeife, the court bailiff, Mr. Ayuba Sule, purposefully thwarted his attempts to deliver the documents to INEC headquarters.

last comes after a Federal High Court, Abuja, decision earlier last week by Justice Obiora Egwuatu. NRM requested permission from the judge to use any commission employee at its national headquarters to serve Yakubu with the contempt charge. NRM accused INEC of not adhering to a court ruling that acknowledged Chief Edozie Njoku as its national chairman, which prompted this order.

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According to Nebeife, Mr. Sule initially went to the INEC Chairman’s office and provided his identity at the staff’s request. The bailiff was sent to the Legal Department after officials allegedly refused to accept the court documents after reviewing them. There, it is said that another employee looked at Form 48, handed it back, and said, “Don’t you see that this is Form 48? Please, I adore my work. The bailiff became frustrated and placed the documents on the Legal Department floor before leaving the building.

According to legal experts, Form 48 is an important document that serves as a warning about the repercussions of disobeying a court order. Justice Egwuatu had scheduled the contempt hearings for July 15, 2025, emphasizing that the court’s order to serve the notice through any employee must be followed.

INEC is currently under investigation for its adherence to internal reforms and judicial decisions. As the commission’s leadership gets ready for the general elections in 2027, the outcome of the contempt proceedings may have an impact.