The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained why it refused to recognise the National Chairman of Action Alliance (AA) Rufai Omoaje in spite of the order of the Federal High Court, Oshogbo.
However, the electrical body said it has complied with the court judgement and order by recognising four of the Action Alliance’s executive elected on 7th October 2023 at Abeokuta, Ogun State.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun in a statement issued Friday maintained that it is not in breach of the judgement of the Federal High Court, Oshogbo.
He said this while reacting to media reports making the rounds about an order made by the Federal High Court, Oshogbo 11 on 29th September, 2025.
TheHintsNews reports that the court had ordered the arrest of the immediate past INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for purportedly disobeying its judgement on a case involving the Action Alliance party (AA).
Olumekun explained that the misleading reports mischievously omitted the Commission’s subsequent action on the case, erroneously portrayed the matter involving a corporate entity, namely INEC, as an individual affair and gave the wrong impression that the Court gave a fresh order after the initial pronouncement made on 29th September.
He noted: “In line with its long-established tradition of always obeying court judgements and orders, the Commission on Monday 6th October 2025, which was still within the deadline, filed processes at the Federal High Court, Oshogbo to show that we had complied with its judgement and order of recognising the Action Alliance’s (AA) executive elected on 7th October 2023 at Abeokuta, Ogun State.
“The dashboard of the Commission’s web site showing compliance was tendered as evidence.”
Olumekun, however, added that when the judgement creditors filed a counter affidavit to complain that the Commission partially complied by listing the names of only four national executives without the National Chairman, Rufai Omoaje.
He explained that the Commission responded by attaching the Notice of Appeal filed by the same Omoaje at the Supreme Court, challenging the judgement of the Court of Appeal sacking him as the National Chairman of the party.
Olumekun noted: “The judgement of the Court of Appeal is superior to that of the federal high court, hence, the Commission cannot list Omoaje’s name as the Chairman of the Action Alliance party when the judgement of the Appeal Court is still subsisting.”
The commission, therefore, appealed to media organisations to fact-check their reports before publication to avoid misleading the public.