The reinstated All Progressives Congress, APC chairmen in Osun State, have sued the Federal Government, the Inspector General of Police, and the Osun State Government over their tenure.
The officials, who were elected in October 2022, were initially removed by Governor Ademola Adeleke after a Federal Court nullified their election.
However, they were reinstated by the Court of Appeal Division in February 2025.
Despite the appellate court’s ruling, members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were sworn in as council executives following the local government elections held on February 22, 2025, creating a situation where both parties laid claim to control.
Since then, members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, in Osun embarked on strike, while federal allocations to local councils remained frozen, deepening the standoff.
In a fresh suit filed at the Federal High Court, Osogbo, with suit number FHC/OS/CS/147/2025, counsel, Muhideen Adeoye, representing Saheed Onibonokuta and seven other local government chairmen, sought an extension of their tenure until 19 February 2028.
The defendants in the suit are listed as the Attorney General of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, the Osun State Governor, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, OSSIEC, and the Osun State House of Assembly.
The claimants argued that “their tenure, under the Constitution and Osun State laws, should begin only from the date they were inaugurated and assumed office in February 2025, not from October 2022, when they were elected but prevented from taking office.”
They further maintained that, “the conduct of fresh local government elections in February 2025, while their tenure was still subsisting, was unlawful and an infringement on their constitutional right to a full term.”
In their claims, they sought “a declaration that OSSIEC lacked authority to issue notices of polls, conduct elections, or swear in new council members during the pendency of their tenure.”
They described all steps taken by state authorities since 22 February 2025 to impose new council executives as illegal, unlawful, invalid, unconstitutional, null and void.
The claimants also urged the court to “declare that any interpretation by the Attorney General of the Federation curtailing their tenure to end in October 2025 was beyond his legal powers and therefore unconstitutional and null.”
They prayed “the court to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police to provide security to guarantee their continued stay in office until February 2028, when their three-year tenure would expire naturally.”
They further requested the court “to restrain Governor Ademola Adeleke, the Osun State Attorney General, the State House of Assembly, and OSSIEC from removing them or interfering with their tenure in October 2025 or any time before February 2028.”
According to the claimants, any attempt to forcefully oust them before the natural expiration of their tenure would amount to an abuse of due process and a violation of their constitutional rights.”
The legal tussle marks a fresh twist in the protracted local government administration crisis in Osun, which has pitted the Osun APC, Osun PDP and the Osun State Government against each other since 20.
