Says court didn’t recognize 2025 elections
Members of the Osun State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and concerned members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have accused the Osun State Government of deliberately misinterpreting a recent Federal High Court judgment to create tension over the administration of local government councils in the state
The allegation was made on today 19th June 2026, during a press conference addressed by Barrister Adegoke Ogunsola in Osogbo.
InsightMedia recalls that the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo on Monday sacked the local government chairmen elected on the platform of the APC in October 2022, declaring that their tenure ended in October 2025.
The Accord has ordered council chairmen elected in 2025 to resume councils immediately.
Reacting to the development, Ogunsola said the controversy arose from the June 15, 2026 judgment of the Federal High Court, Osogbo, in Suit No. FHC/OS/CS/147/2025 filed by reinstated APC local government chairmen and councillors seeking judicial interpretation of the commencement date of their tenure.
According to him, the dismissal of the suit by the court had been wrongly interpreted by the state government as validation of the local government elections conducted on February 22, 2025.
“Sequel to the dismissal, the Osun State Government and its henchmen stormed the streets and began to foment avoidable crises by ascribing dismissal of the suit to validation of the ruse being paraded as outcome of local government elections purportedly held on February 22, 2025,” he said.
Ogunsola alleged that the state government had requested police protection for individuals it described as elected local government officials, a move he said could trigger unrest.
“The state government called on the Nigeria Police to provide security for some members of its political group whom the State Governor described as elected local government officers. This conduct is not only embarrassing but also condemnable and capable of plunging an otherwise peaceful state into avoidable chaos,” he said.
The lawyer argued that those claiming to have emerged from the February 2025 elections were not parties to the suit and had not obtained any relief from the court.
“The self-appointed chairmen and councillors are not parties to the suit and there was no order of court granting any relief to them that would justify their celebration of the dismissal of the suit,” he said.
Ogunsola further contended that the court had affirmed that the tenure of the reinstated chairmen and councillors ended in October 2025.
Quoting from the judgment, he said the court held that “the Local Government (Administrative) Law and OSSIEC Law provide for a period of three years from the date of inauguration which should be computed from October 2022 to October 2025.”
He argued that the court’s position raised questions about the legality of the February 2025 local government elections and the swearing-in ceremony conducted by the state government.
“This is a clear indication that the purported elections and swearing-in on February 23, 2025 by the Osun State Government was a nullity,” he said.
Ogunsola urged the government to allow the appellate court to determine the issues already before it.
“A party to an action is entitled to the right of appeal preserved by the Constitution and once that party has appealed and filed a motion for stay of execution, all enforcement steps must be stopped,” he stated.
He also called on residents of the state to remain peaceful and disregard what he described as misinformation about the court judgment.
The APC members warned that any breakdown of law and order arising from the dispute should be blamed on the state government.
“Should there be any form of breakdown of law and order, the Osun State Government stands to be held accountable,” Ogunsola said.
The group also commended security agencies, including the police, the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, for what it described as their professionalism in handling the situation.
“We commend the good people of Osun State for their understanding and the professionalism being displayed by law enforcement agencies, particularly the police, DSS and Civil Defence,” he added.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Osun State Government to the allegations were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.