ABUJA — The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, to appear before it on March 10, 2026, to face a contempt charge.
The summons follows a lawsuit initiated by the National Rescue Mission (NRM), which alleges that the commission has wilfully disregarded a valid court order.
Absence Sparked Adjournment
The presiding judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, fixed the new date after Prof. Amupitan failed to appear during Wednesday’s proceedings. Counsel to INEC, M.S. Bawa, had pleaded for an adjournment, citing an “emergency” that prevented the Chairman’s attendance.
Bawa also informed the court that the commission had filed a counter-affidavit seeking to quash the charge, challenging its competence.
However, the NRM’s legal team, led by Oladimeji Ekengba, countered the application, insisting that the Chairman’s physical presence in the dock is a mandatory requirement for contempt proceedings.
“My Lord, this is a contempt charge that requires the defendant to be present in the dock. We wonder why he is not here today,” Ekengba argued.
Roots of the Legal Battle
The legal dispute centres on an order of mandamus issued on March 5, 2025, which directed INEC to recognise the leadership of Chief Edozie Njoku as the authentic National Chairman of the NRM.
The NRM claims that despite the court’s clear directive, the commission has refused to acknowledge the outcome of the party’s emergency national convention held in January 2025.
To ensure the Chairman was aware of the legal consequences, the court previously authorized substituted service of Form 48—a formal notice warning of imprisonment for disobeying judicial orders. The NRM alleged that INEC staff had earlier attempted to block the service of these documents at the commission’s headquarters.
Justice Egwuatu has now directed that a fresh hearing notice be served on the INEC boss ahead of the next sitting.
