Court orders go ahead with Osun Local Government elections in face of crisis & attacks
According to the ruling, the state is mandated to conduct elections to fill vacant positions for local government chairmen and councillors across all 30 local government areas and the area office in Osun State.
Amid the ongoing crisis in Osun State over local government elections and the takeover of offices by the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Osun State High Court in Ilesa has ordered the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) to proceed with conducting elections for vacant positions in the state’s local government areas.
According to the ruling, the state is mandated to conduct elections to fill vacant positions for local government chairmen and councillors across all 30 local government areas and the area office in Osun State.
The order, issued on Friday, February 21, 2025, by Justice Adeyinka Aderibigbe, followed a suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of the parties contesting in the election.
“An order of this honourable court is granted, recognising the existing vacancies across all the 30 Local Government Areas of Osun State, the election conducted by the first defendant on 15th October 2022, having being invalidated, nullified and voided, and the purported elected officials produced by the purported election having been sacked by the Federal High Court FHC/CS/OS/103/2022; in ACTION PEOPLE PARTY (APP) VS INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC) & ors. delivered on the 30th November 2022, and as confirmed by the decision of the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/AK/226M/2024, ALLIED PEOPLE MOVEMENT (APM) & ORS vs ACTION PEOPLES PARTY (APP) & ORS delivered on 13th January 2025.
“An order of this honourable court is granted, directing, mandating and compelling the defendants to fill the vacancies across the 30 Local Government Areas of Osun State through a democratic process by proceeding to conduct the Local Government ELECTIONS already scheduled by the defendants for 22nd of February, 2025.
“An order of this honourable court is granted, directing, mandating and compelling all the security agents comprising of the Nigeria Police, the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Security Services (DSS), the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the National Drugs and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Amotekun Corps, the Vigilante Groups etc. to provide adequate security and maintain peace and order before, during and after the local government election scheduled by the Defendants for February 22, 2025, in Osun State.”
However, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, had previously declared that the Osun State government should not proceed with local government elections.
Fagbemi had cited the February 10, 2025, ruling of the Court of Appeal (Akure Division) in Appeal No. CA/AK/272/2022, which overturned an earlier Federal High Court decision that had removed elected local government officials.
He asserted that the appellate court’s decision effectively reinstated these officials, who are legally entitled to remain in office until October 2025.
Despite the AGF’s directive, the Osun State government has insisted that the elections would proceed as planned.
In a statement issued by Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to democracy and the rule of law, emphasising that Osun remains a peaceful state.
