Stop Takeover Of Osun LGs By ‘Sacked’ Chairmen, Federal Lawmakers Tell Tinubu

The Osun State Caucus in the 10th National Assembly has called on President Bola Tinubu to stop the local government chairmen who were sacked by a decision of a Federal High Court, Osogbo, on November 25, 2022, from forcefully taking over the council’s secretariat.

The lawmakers particularly asked the president to instruct the national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and the attorney general of the federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to properly advise the All Progressives Congress in Osun on the futility of their “barbaric actions and guide them appropriately on the true position of the law on this matter.”

Members of the caucus, including deputy senate minority leader Akogun Olalere Oyewumi, Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi, and Olubiyi Fadeyi Ajagunnla; Hons Bamidele Salami, Busayo Oke, Taofeek Ajilesoro, Clement Akanni Olohunwa, Soji Adetunji, Adebayo Morufu Adewale, Mudashiru Lukman, Lanre Oladebo, and Sanya Omirin said this while addressing journalists at the National Assembly in Abuja yesterday.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, the leader of the caucus, Salam, condemned the “brazen effrontery of the sacked local government council officials to return to office notwithstanding the yet-to-be-set-aside decision of the Court of Appeal, Akure, against their return to the office.”

“We condemn these unfolding acts of state capture through violence, usurpation of constituted authority, abuse of federal power and gross rascality by the APC in Osun and especially the minister of marine and blue economy, Mr Gboyega Oyetola.

“We hereby alert the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, HE Sen. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the international community of this unfortunate occurrence. Accordingly, we call on Mr. President to direct the inspector general of police to immediately restore law and order in the state.

“Furthermore, we call on Mr President to instruct the national security adviser and the attorney general of the federation to properly advise the All Progressives Congress in Osun on the futility of their barbaric actions and guide them appropriately on the true position of the law on this matter.

“Finally, we want to state categorically that as representatives of the people, we stand by the Osun State government on this matter in defence of democracy and the rule of law.”

“The general public is aware that there were two different Federal High Court judgements on the said Local Government Election of 2022. One of the judgements was on the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which sacked the products of the 2022 local government polls, while the other judgment was on the suit filed by the Action Peoples Party (APP), which equally sacked them.

“The two (2) cases were filed differently, at different times and in the exercise of the fundamental rights of each of the political parties (PDP and APP) to challenge the propriety or otherwise of the local government poll so conducted in the court of competent jurisdiction.

“Although the All Progressives Congress (APC) appealed the Federal High Court judgment obtained by the PDP on the said case, the Court of Appeal, Akure, on the 10th day of February 2025, struck out the judgement earlier obtained by the PDP at the Federal High Court on technical/jurisdictional ground that the Originating Process of the PDP was filed before the Notice of Election was published by Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC).

“The Court of Appeal, which equally lacked the jurisdiction to determine the merit of the suit based on the lack of jurisdiction by the Federal High Court, refused to go into the merit of the case and made no order reinstating the sacked local government chairmen and councillors.

“However, the Appeal by the APC against the favourable judgememt obtained by the APP at the Federal High Court was dismissed by the same Court of Appeal, Akure, on the 13th day of January 2025 for lack of diligent prosecution which makes the judgment of the APP still subsisting and alive.