Ola Akinwunmi
In the wake of the Court of Appeal’s decision to reinstate local government chairmen in Osun State, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the Federal Government to release withheld allocations to the reinstated officials. The appeal comes amid ongoing tensions between the reinstated chairmen and the state government led by Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The reinstated chairmen, who were removed from office following a Federal High Court judgment in November 2022, resumed duties after the appellate court overturned the lower court’s decision on February 10, 2025. Upon resumption, they ordered the immediate freezing of council accounts and cautioned against any unauthorized transactions. They also urged the state government and the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) to halt the planned local government elections, asserting that no vacancies exist in the 30 councils.
In response to the unfolding situation, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, issued a directive to Governor Adeleke to suspend the local government elections scheduled for February 22, 2025. Fagbemi emphasized that the Court of Appeal’s judgment effectively reinstated the elected officials until their tenure concludes in October 2025, rendering any new elections during this period invalid.
Despite the legal clarifications, the Osun State government has expressed a differing interpretation of the court’s ruling. The state’s Attorney-General contended that the judgment did not explicitly reinstate the sacked council officials but merely struck out the originating summons filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Amid these legal and political disputes, the APC chieftain’s call for the release of local government allocations aims to ensure the reinstated chairmen can effectively govern and provide essential services to their constituencies. The situation remains fluid, with stakeholders awaiting further legal interpretations and potential interventions from higher authorities.
