The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has been ordered to appear before the Federal High Court on March 10, 2026, to respond to allegations of contempt of court arising from the commission’s alleged failure to comply with a previous judicial directive.
The order was issued by Justice Obiora Egwuatu during proceedings on Wednesday after the INEC chairman failed to appear in court as required.
The court had earlier directed the electoral commission to recognise the leadership of the National Rescue Mission (NRM) led by Edozie Njoku as the legitimate executive of the party.
During the hearing, counsel representing INEC, M.S. Bawa, sought an adjournment, explaining that the commission’s chairman could not attend the session due to an emergency situation. However, the court proceeded to issue a summons compelling Amupitan to appear at the next hearing.
Counsel to the NRM, Oladimeji Ekengba, told the court that contempt proceedings are quasi-criminal in nature, which makes the physical presence of the accused necessary in court.
Following the submissions, Justice Egwuatu directed that a fresh hearing notice be formally served on the INEC chairman. The judge also instructed him to “show cause” why he should not be committed to prison for allegedly failing to comply with the court’s earlier order.
The dispute stems from a mandamus order issued on March 5, 2025, which compelled INEC to acknowledge the outcome of the NRM national convention held in January 2025. The convention reportedly produced the Edozie Njoku-led executive as the party’s leadership.
Due to earlier difficulties in serving court documents directly on the INEC chairman, the court had approved a substituted service of Form 48 — an official notice that warns of the consequences of disobeying a court order.
Under the arrangement approved by the court, the notice could be delivered to any staff member at the INEC national headquarters in Abuja.
Meanwhile, officials of the National Rescue Mission expressed optimism that the electoral commission would eventually comply with the court’s directive and formally recognise the party’s leadership as determined by the January 2025 convention.
