AA crisis: INEC insists it is complying with court order, blames media for giving a wrong picture

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied media reports stating that it is challenging a Federal High Court order issued in Osogbo, Osun State, regarding leadership disputes within the Action Alliance (AA) political party.

Previous reports claimed that the court ordered the arrest of former INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for allegedly failing to comply with the September 29, 2025 decision recognizing the Rufai Omoaje-led faction of the party and directing INEC to upload its executive list to the commission portal.

However, in a statement issued on Friday by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Voter Information and Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, INEC described the report as *misleading* and accused some media outlets of omitting important details about their compliance with the court directive.

“Our attention has been drawn to reports stating that the Federal High Court, Osogbo, ordered the arrest of Prof Mahmood Yakubu for disobeying the decision regarding the Action Alliance. These reports are misleading and fail to reflect the commission’s subsequent actions,” the statement read.

According to INEC, the commission has taken steps to comply with the court decision. It stated that on October 6, 2025—within the court deadline—they filed the necessary legal documents at the Federal High Court in Osogbo and provided evidence showing that they had recognized the Action Alliance executive elected on October 7, 2023, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

INEC noted that despite this, a counter-affidavit was later filed by the judgment creditor, stating that the commission only listed four national officers without including the National Chairman, Rufai Omoaje.

In response, the commission explained that it was unable to register Omoaje as chairman due to a High Court decision that had removed him from office – a decision that is currently under appeal at the Supreme Court.

“The decision of the Court of Appeal supersedes the decision of the Federal High Court. As a result, the commission cannot recognize Rufai Omoaje as the National Chairman of the Action Alliance as long as the decision of the court of appeal remains valid,” explained Olumekun.

He emphasized that INEC remains committed to upholding the supremacy of law and consistently complying with all valid court orders.

The Commission also urges media organizations to uphold professional ethics by verifying information before publication.

“We urge the media to fact-check their reporting and avoid spreading false information that could damage public trust,” concluded the statement.