Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has formally challenged the Federal High Court judgment that sacked local government chairmen and councillors elected on the party’s platform, describing the ruling as a miscarriage of justice and vowing to exhaust all legal avenues to protect the mandates of its elected officials. The party has filed a notice of appeal before the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, while also seeking a stay of execution to prevent the immediate enforcement of the lower court’s decision.
Justice Adefunmilola A. Demi-Ajayi of the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo delivered the judgment on Monday, June 15, 2026, in suit number FHC/OS/CS/147/2025, dismissing the suit filed by the council chairmen and councillors who were seeking the determination of their tenure. The claimants, who were elected on October 15, 2022, under the administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, had approached the court to determine when their tenure legally commenced, having taken the oath of office on October 25, 2022. The suit was filed in September 2025, and following several interlocutory appeals, the Court of Appeal in Abuja had heard the matter on June 3, 2026, and adjourned further hearing to September 28, 2026.
In her ruling, Justice Demi-Ajayi held that the three-year tenure of the council officials ended in October 2025. The judge declared that “the tenure of office of the elected officers of the local government councils ended in October 2025.” The implication of the ruling, according to legal observers, is that the purported elections conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission on February 22, 2025, and the subsequent swearing-in on February 23, 2025, are effectively nullified, as the court found that the tenure of the plaintiffs subsisted until October 2025.
Reacting to the judgment, the APC, through its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, issued a statement on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, faulting the ruling and announcing the party’s decision to appeal. Olabisi noted that the court delivered its judgment despite the fact that the Court of Appeal had already become seised of the matter and a motion for stay of further proceedings was pending. “Notwithstanding the fact that the Court of Appeal has become seised of the matter and a motion for stay of further proceedings is pending, the judge went ahead to deliver judgment today, June 15, 2026, dismissing the suit,” Olabisi stated. The party argued that the Federal High Court verdict was a miscarriage of justice and that the reinstated chairmen and councillors would challenge the judgment at the appropriate judicial forum, insisting that their constitutional rights of appeal had already been exercised.
The party further stated that the affected officials would continue to perform their duties pending the final determination of the appeal, urging the public to disregard what it described as misleading information being circulated by the Osun State Government regarding the elections and swearing-in. The APC also called on security agencies to monitor members of the Accord Party, alleging attempts to create tension over the dispute, and urged the police to monitor Governor Ademola Adeleke and the leadership of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), warning against actions that could trigger a breakdown of law and order.
Muhydeen Adeoye, counsel for the sacked council chairmen and councillors, confirmed that his clients had filed a notice of appeal on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, with six grounds of appeal challenging the lower court’s decision. “We have headed to the Court of Appeal by a Notice of Appeal filed today, 16th June, 2026,” Adeoye told The PUNCH. The appeal is expected to be heard at the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, and the outcome will determine the final status of the embattled council officials.
Meanwhile, Governor Ademola Adeleke has welcomed the Federal High Court ruling, describing it as a validation of constitutional provisions against tenure elongation. Addressing journalists in Osogbo, the governor said the court had dismissed the application seeking tenure elongation for the chairmen and ruled that they lacked the legal standing to institute the suit. “The dismissal of the elongation request conforms with the stipulations of the constitution. The judgment further validates the precedent set by the Supreme Court ruling that tenure elongation is unconstitutional,” Adeleke said. He subsequently directed the Commissioner of Police in Osun State to withdraw security protection from the APC-aligned local government chairmen and called on the United Bank for Africa (UBA) to cease collaboration with the affected chairmen regarding local government accounts, insisting that signatories prescribed by law should be allowed to operate the accounts so that workers could receive pensions and other entitlements.
In a related development, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Osun State Council, has directed members of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) across the state to lock the entrance gates of council secretariats against the sacked chairmen, councillors, and their appointees, instructing workers to secure vital administrative offices and council properties while remaining calm and continuing their official duties without panic. The directive takes immediate effect and will remain in force pending further communication from the NLC Osun State Council.
As the legal battle intensifies, the Osun State APC has urged its members and supporters to remain resolute and law-abiding while awaiting the outcome of the judicial process, emphasizing that no enforcement action should be taken until the appeal is finally determined. The party has also called on the public to remain calm and maintain peace while the legal process runs its course. For now, the fate of the 30 local government chairmen and councillors hangs in the balance, as both sides prepare for a decisive legal showdown at the appellate court.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com ✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments