Asset Declaration: Court Stops DSS From Arresting INEC Chairman 

The INEC Chairman insisted that his asset declarations were accurate.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

The Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police, and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) have been ordered not to arrest Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for allegedly making a false asset declaration, according to a High Court sitting in Abuja.

The court also rejected a request to oust Yakubu from his position as the head of the election commission.

On Wednesday, January 4, 2023, Justice M. A. Hassan, the sitting court, rejected the application along with the 14 relief requests made by the claimants, according to Daily Trusts.

Yakubu’s asset statement, according to Justice Hassan, was legal, legitimate, and compliant with the law.

The decision was made in response to an original summons issued by Somadina Uzoabaka against Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Abubakar Malami, and the Attorney General of the Federation.

The plaintiff requested that the court order the INEC chairman to stand aside as the commission’s chairman while the charges against him are being investigated and taken into account by the different law enforcement authorities.

According to reports, the complainant also requested a court order prohibiting the INEC chief from holding any public office for a term of ten years.

But Prof. Yakubu provided information on his court papers in his response to the accusations.

The complaint claimed that the records revealed the sources of funding for the acquisition of the properties that they claimed were obtained unlawfully.

The Chairman of INEC said that his wealth disclosures had been properly completed.