Members of the Osun State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and reinstated All Progressives Congress (APC) local government officials have accused the Osun State Government of deliberately misrepresenting a recent Federal High Court judgment in a manner capable of causing public disorder across the state.
Addressing a press conference in Osogbo on Friday, legal practitioner and APC chieftain, Barrister Adegoke Ogunsola, said the controversy followed the June 15 judgment of the Federal High Court in Suit No. FHC/OS/CS/147/2025, which concerned the tenure of reinstated APC chairmen and councillors. According to him, the court dismissed the suit, but the state government allegedly portrayed the judgment as validation of the local government elections conducted on February 22, 2025.
Ogunsola claimed that the state government subsequently sought police protection for individuals it described as elected local government officials, a move he described as capable of creating unnecessary tension in the state.
He further disclosed that an appeal against the judgment had already been filed at the Court of Appeal alongside an application for stay of execution, arguing that all parties should await the outcome of the appellate process before taking any further action.
According to the APC officials, those celebrating the judgment were not parties to the suit and no relief was granted to them by the court. They maintained that the ruling merely affirmed that the tenure of the reinstated APC chairmen and councillors ended in October 2025.
The group also noted that the police and other parties to the case had been served with the notice of appeal and motion for stay of execution. They warned that any attempt to enforce the judgment before the determination of the appeal could lead to a breakdown of law and order.
Citing portions of the judgment, the APC officials argued that the court held that the tenure of elected local government officers runs for three years from the date of inauguration and that interruptions in office do not extend such tenure beyond the statutory period.
They contended that this interpretation raises questions about the validity of the February 2025 local government elections and the subsequent swearing-in of officials, issues they said are now before the Court of Appeal for determination.
The group called on residents of Osun State to remain peaceful, disregard what it described as misinformation surrounding the judgment, and continue their lawful activities while awaiting the outcome of ongoing legal proceedings. They stressed that there was no court order directing any group to take over local government councils in the state.
They also commended security agencies, including the police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), for maintaining peace and professionalism amid the political dispute.
The press conference comes amid continuing legal and political battles over the control and administration of local government councils in Osun State.
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