By Anifowoshe Oladipupo

The Federal High Court in Abuja has served the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, with a contempt charge initiated by the National Rescue Movement (NRM).

Court bailiff Ayuba Sule delivered the Form 48 at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, acting on a June 17 ruling by Justice Obiora Egwuatu.

Form 48 is a legal notice that outlines the consequences of disobeying a valid court order and marks the beginning of contempt proceedings.

Justice Egwuatu had granted an order for substituted service, allowing the bailiff to deliver the documents to any INEC staff member after previous attempts to serve the chairman directly failed.

In a statement released Friday by the NRM’s National Publicity Secretary, Anselem Nebeife, the party alleged that INEC officials initially resisted receiving the documents.

According to the statement, the bailiff first approached the INEC chairman’s office, where staff requested identification.

After inspecting the document, they redirected him to the legal department.

At the legal department, another staff member reportedly looked at the document, realized it was Form 48, and refused to accept it.

Frustrated, Sule left the documents in front of the department and exited the premises.

The contempt charge stems from INEC’s alleged refusal to comply with a mandamus order issued on March 5, which directed the commission to recognize the outcome of the NRM’s emergency national convention held on January 17.

The convention elected Chief Edozie Njoku as the party’s national chairman and was convened to fill executive vacancies and resolve internal imbalances.

NRM’s counsel, Oladimeji Ekengba, argued that INEC and its chairman were fully aware of the court order but had willfully ignored it, prompting the legal action now underway.

By Adenike Lawal

A domestic dispute in Daura, Katsina State, turned fatal as 25-year-old Rabi’a Labaran allegedly stabbed her co-wife, 30-year-old Zainab Lawal, to death . The incident occurred on the night of May 24, 2025, in the Sabon Gari area of Daura, behind Dadi Primary School.

Police spokesperson ASP Abubakar Sadiq reported that the command received a distress call from the husband, Nasir Yusuf, who returned from the market to find his first wife, Zainab, in a pool of blood inside their home.

Officers from the Sabon Gari Police Division responded promptly, and Zainab was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre in Daura, where she was pronounced dead .

During preliminary investigations, Rabi’a Labaran was taken into custody . According to ASP Sadiq, she admitted to the attack during interrogation, revealing that the deadly confrontation stemmed from an ongoing dispute between the co-wives .

Katsina State Commissioner of Police, Bello Shehu, has issued a stern warning to the public, urging families to seek peaceful resolutions to domestic conflicts and avoid resorting to violence or vigilante justice.

By Gabriella Ogbu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is considering withdrawing and destroying Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), that remain unclaimed for a decade.

This proposal emerged from a post-2023 general election review, which generated 208 recommendations.

As of 2023, over six million PVCs remain uncollected, some dating back to 2015.

Stakeholders have urged INEC to address the backlog, arguing that these cards likely won’t be claimed and contribute to inefficiencies in voter management.

Challenges in PVC Collection

Despite extending the PVC collection deadline and decentralizing the process to the ward level, INEC reported significant collection challenges.

Efforts like online tracking and collaboration with civil society organizations yielded limited success, leaving millions of cards unclaimed.

Modernization Efforts

INEC has also proposed modernizing the voting process by gradually phasing out physical PVCs.

With the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), enabling biometric voter verification, voters could use digital credentials instead.

However, implementing this shift requires amending Section 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates PVC presentation for accreditation.

Reactions to the Proposal

Political parties are divided over the idea.

The Labour Party supports the plan, citing voter register decluttering, while the PDP criticizes it as a diversion from INEC’s credibility issues.

The NNPP opposes the destruction, calling it wasteful and suggesting secure storage instead.

Some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), back INEC’s proposal, arguing that many uncollected PVCs likely stem from double registrations or belong to deceased individuals.

However, others urge caution, citing the resources invested in producing the cards and calling for public awareness before any decision is made.