FG to Adeleke: Halt Osun LG Election, Court Has Reinstated APC Chairmen

The Federal Government has directed Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State to halt the upcoming Local Government elections scheduled for Saturday. This statement was made by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, in response to the ongoing political conflict between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state....CONTINUE READING>>>

Fagbemi’s comments stemmed from the recent crisis in Osun State, where violence erupted over control of the Local Government secretariats. Some individuals, including a former council chairman, were killed, and many others were injured. The Osun state government has blamed the APC and former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, who is now the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, for the unrest.

Despite the conflict, Governor Adeleke had insisted that the elections would proceed as planned, encouraging citizens to participate. However, Fagbemi pointed out that the order Adeleke relied upon to remove Local Government chairmen elected under Oyetola’s administration had been overturned by the Court of Appeal on February 10, 2025.

Fagbemi’s statement emphasized that the Court of Appeal’s ruling effectively reinstated the elected officials who had been removed by a previous Federal High Court decision in 2022. He noted that the appeal filed by the APC led to the court striking out the case that had resulted in the removal of those officials. Therefore, the court’s ruling had restored their terms, which are set to run until October 2025.

The AGF warned that any Local Government election conducted while these officials were still in office would not only be invalid, but also a violation of the Constitution. He added that Governor Adeleke, having taken an oath to uphold the law, should ensure a smooth transition and avoid any further violence. Fagbemi urged Adeleke to advise the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) to suspend the elections for the time being.

This legal back-and-forth has sparked significant tension in the state, and it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold.