Tensions continue to mount in Osun State as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) exchange heated accusations over the legal status of local government chairmen and the role of the judiciary in the ongoing controversy.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Osun PDP accused the APC of attempting to manipulate the judiciary in a bid to maintain control of local government councils. The party alleged that the APC was deliberately misrepresenting a recent court ruling to mislead the public and justify what it described as the unlawful occupation of council offices.
Hezekiah Olabamiji, the PDP’s Director of Media and Publicity, insisted that no court had reinstated the sacked chairmen, contrary to APC claims. “The accusations from the APC are lies from the pit of hell,” Olabamiji stated. “The Federal High Court’s judgment sacking them remains valid.”
The PDP also called on the judiciary to remain resilient in the face of what it described as persistent attempts at blackmail by the opposition, reiterating its confidence in judicial independence. The party warned that some APC leaders could face contempt of court charges for misrepresenting legal proceedings.
In a swift rebuttal, the APC accused the PDP-led state government of trying to mislead the judiciary through an ex-parte motion aimed at halting the release of federal allocations to the reinstated council officials. In a statement issued on Thursday by Kola Olabisi, the APC’s Director of Media and Information, the party claimed the court had rejected all the reliefs sought by the state government and instead ordered all parties to maintain the status quo pending a full hearing on June 4, 2025.
“The court, sensing a trap in the reliefs presented, declined all requests. It is evident the PDP government is attempting a judicial coup,” Olabisi said. He further alleged that the state government was seeking favorable judgments through questionable means, including attempts to bypass necessary parties — a claim the PDP dismissed as baseless and defamatory.
Both parties have cited different court rulings to back their claims. While the PDP maintains that a Federal High Court ruling nullified the APC-led local councils, the APC points to a February 10, 2025, Appeal Court judgment which it claims validated the officials’ tenure.
The APC argued that undermining the current council leadership would only worsen conditions for residents and insisted that the law, as it stands, supports continuity in local governance.
The escalating dispute over control of Osun’s local councils underscores the deepening political divide in the state, with both parties locked in a battle over legal interpretations and political legitimacy.
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