The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has accused the Accord/PDP-led state government of deliberately abusing judicial processes to harass elected local government officials and undermine grassroots governance across the state.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, January 5, 2026, at the party’s secretariat in Osogbo, the Osun APC Chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, represented by the party’s Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Olabisi, alleged that the state government had instigated legal crises within local government councils to terrorise the opposition and confuse the people.
Lawal recalled that the Court of Appeal, on February 10, 2025, nullified the judgment that removed APC-elected local government chairmen and councillors, ordering their reinstatement across the state. He noted that the ruling was never appealed by the state government.
According to him, the reinstated officials resumed office on February 17, 2025, in compliance with the law, but the state government initially refused to accept the verdict despite legal advice to do so.
He alleged that the refusal to obey the court judgment triggered violence, including the killing of the late Hon. Remi Abbas, a reinstated council chairman, and that local government workers were unlawfully pressured to stay away from their duties.
The APC chairman further described the February 22, 2025, local government election conducted by the state government as illegal, noting that the exercise is currently the subject of ongoing litigation.
Lawal accused the government of filing multiple suits in different courts over the same matter, as well as securing interim orders that allegedly stalled council activities and blocked the release of statutory allocations to reinstated officials.
“It was shocking when a judge concluded a case within 48 hours and attempted to interpret the Court of Appeal judgment in a manner that rendered it ineffective,” he said, adding that the party responded through lawful channels, including petitions to the National Judicial Council (NJC).
He also cited subsequent rulings of the Court of Appeal on June 13, 2025, and the Supreme Court judgment of December 5, 2025, which he said reaffirmed the reinstatement of APC chairmen and councillors.
Quoting the Supreme Court, Lawal stated that the apex court held that the Osun State Government lacked the legal authority to parade candidates from the February 22, 2025 election as legitimate local government officials.
He maintained that the judgments had conclusively settled all claims by the state government over local government councils and their allocations.
Lawal appealed to the NJC to act swiftly on pending petitions, saying prompt intervention would reinforce public confidence in the judiciary and help prevent unrest.
“All we seek is the protection of the rule of law so that citizens remain civil and law-abiding,” he said.
He clarified that the reinstated chairmen and councillors were not seeking a tenure extension but merely a judicial interpretation of their lawful tenure as stipulated by Osun State law.
Lawal commended security agencies, the judiciary, and the media for their professionalism, while also thanking residents of Osun State for remaining peaceful despite what he described as sustained provocation.
“We believe the era of conflicting interim orders is over,” he said. “May the rule of law reign in Osun State.”
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