The National Chairman of the Action Alliance (AA), Chief Kenneth Udeze, has dismissed as fake reports claiming that a Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, ordered the arrest and imprisonment of the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
Udeze, in a statement issued yesterday, described the purported judgment as “fabricated and misleading,” urging Nigerians to disregard it completely. According to him, no such order exists against the former INEC boss.
He said, “On the issue of a purported court order against the former INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, I want Nigerians to disregard such false rumours. There is no such judgment anywhere.
“It is a fabrication by some expelled members of the party who have continued to cause confusion for selfish reasons.”
Reports had earlier claimed that Justice Adefunmilola Demi-Ajayi of the Federal High Court in Osogbo ordered the arrest and imprisonment of Yakubu for allegedly disobeying a court ruling in a suit filed by one Rufai Omoaje, a former member of the Action Alliance.
Omoaje and his group were said to have approached the court seeking an order compelling INEC to relist their names as national officers of the party on the commission’s website.
However, Udeze dismissed the entire report as “a calculated attempt to mislead the public” and reaffirmed that the leadership tussle within the Action Alliance had long been settled by superior courts in his favour.
He noted that both the trial court and the Court of Appeal had recognised his leadership of the party, while the faction led by Omoaje had lost multiple cases at the FCT High Court, the Federal High Court, and the Court of Appeal, all in Abuja.
According to Udeze, Omoaje and his allies, after their consistent legal defeats, resorted to forum-shopping by secretly approaching the Federal High Court in Osogbo to procure what he termed a “fraudulent judgment.”
He said, “The authentic leadership of the Action Alliance has been determined by competent courts of law, including the Court of Appeal. Any contrary claim is baseless.
“The so-called Osogbo judgment is fraudulent, and we have directed our legal team to take all lawful steps to vacate it.”
Udeze assured party members across the country that the matter would be handled strictly within the bounds of the law. He urged supporters to remain calm, united, and law-abiding, insisting that the factional activities of Omoaje and his associates would not derail the party’s focus.
He said, “The Action Alliance faithful across Nigeria and beyond should remain calm and law-abiding.
“The national leadership under my watch has already mandated our team of lawyers to take immediate steps to set aside this fraudulent judgment obtained by one Adekunle Rufai Omoaje and his cohorts.”
He reiterated that the party’s structures at both the national and state levels remain intact and that the Independent National Electoral Commission continues to recognise the Udeze-led leadership as the lawful executive of the Action Alliance.
Udeze also accused Omoaje of working with “external interests” to destabilise the party ahead of future elections, warning that such actions would not succeed.
He emphasised that the party remains focused on its core mission of promoting credible leadership and contributing to Nigeria’s democratic development, adding that distractions from expelled members would not derail its progress.
Udeze said, “The Action Alliance is moving forward with unity and purpose.
“We will not be distracted by political impostors or fraudulent court pronouncements.
“Our confidence remains in the rule of law and the judiciary’s ability to correct this obvious miscarriage of justice.”
With the matter now heading for appeal, the Udeze-led faction has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the party’s internal disputes are resolved strictly within legal and constitutional frameworks.
