Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was accused of making a fake asset declaration, but such accusations were rejected by Justice Maryam Hassan of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court Garki.
The Department of State Security (DSS), the police, and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) were all prohibited by the court from looking into his legal asset declaration.
A mandatory injunction ordering and compelling the INEC Chairman to resign pending the investigation and consideration of the various allegations against him by the various law enforcement agencies was one of the requests made in an Originating Summons filed by one Somadina Uzoamaka against the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Yakubu.
Additionally, the plaintiff asked for a court order to stop Yakubu from holding or assuming any public office for a period of 10 years.
Prof. Yakubu refuted the claim by providing the court with a number of exhibits to demonstrate the sources of funding for the acquisition of the properties that the plaintiff claimed were illegally acquired, and he argued that his asset declaration was legitimately completed.
Prof. Yakubu’s declaration of assets was legal, valid, and in line with the law, according to Justice Hassan, who also determined that none of the security services named by the claimant could conduct an investigation into Prof. Yakubu.
The INEC Chairman cannot be dismissed due to “fabricated” claims of fake asset declaration, the court said in rejecting all 14 of the claimant’s requests.
As a result, the judge rejected the claimant’s arguments and accepted the defendant’s counterclaim.