A federal high court
sitting in Abuja has ordered the arrest of Mahmood Yakubu, chairman,
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Stephen
Pam, the presiding judge, issued an arrest warrant on Thursday after Yakubu
failed to appear before him for the third consecutive time.
The
judge asked the police to effect the arrest immediately.
Pam
had on July 5 ordered Yakubu to appear before the court to show cause why he
should not be sent to prison for contempt of court.
The
judge had asked Yakubu to defend a case filed against him by Ejike
Oguebego and Chuks Okoye, chairman, and legal adviser of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) in Anambra state, respectively.
However,
Yakubu was absent on July 10 when the court sat to hear the case.
Adeboyega
Awomolo, his counsel, had informed the court that his client filed an appeal
challenging the order and another appeal before the federal high court asking
for a stay of proceedings pending the determination of the appeal.
But
counsel to the plaintiff said contrary to the claims by Awomolo, there was no
material evidence before the court to stop the hearing.
In
his ruling, Pam held that the fiat by the chief judge of the federal high court
to hear the matter subsists, after which he adjourned the case till August 1.
But
Yakubu failed to appear before the court on Thursday, leading to the warrant of
the arrest issued on him.
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