The Osun State High Court sitting in Ilesa has ordered the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, OSSIEC, to conduct elections for the vacant positions of local government chairmen and councillors in all the 30 local government areas and the area office in Osun State.
This order was made on Friday, 21st of February, 2025, sequel to a suit brought before the court by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of the political parties participating in the election.
Earlier on Friday, Osun Governor, Ademola Adeleke, insists there is no going back on the local government election in the South-West state.
The governor made this known in a statement on Friday by his spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, despite an appeal from the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, to suspend the polls.
9News Nigeria reports that the Attorney General of the Federation had on Thursday called on Adeleke to instruct the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission to halt the election, warning that it would be invalid and a violation of the Constitution.
Fagbemi referenced the recent Court of Appeal ruling in Akure, which overturned an earlier Federal High Court judgment that nullified the previous local government elections conducted under former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola. The ruling effectively reinstated the sacked council chairmen, whose tenure, according to the AGF, remains valid until October 2025.
He warned that any such election that may be held will not only be invalid since the term of office of the elected officials just restored by the judgment of the Court of Appeal will still be running until October 2025, but it will also amount to an egregious breach of the Constitution, which Governor Adeleke has sworn to uphold.
