By John Dike, Osogbo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has accused the state government of inducing legal crises and abusing court processes to intimidate elected local government officials and destabilise grassroots governance in the state.
The party’s state chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, levelled the allegation while addressing a press conference at the party’s secretariat in the Ogo-Oluwa area of Osogbo.
He alleged that the state government had, since February 2025, embarked on what he described as a “calculated campaign of judicial terrorism” following the Court of Appeal judgment of February 10, 2025, which nullified the removal of APC-elected local government chairmen and councillors across the state.
According to him, the appellate court judgment was never appealed by the state government, yet it allegedly refused to obey the ruling, insisting on relying on what it termed a “sister judgment” from a lower court.
“The reinstated chairmen and councillors lawfully resumed office on February 17, 2025, but instead of complying with the law, the state government encouraged chaos,” Lawal said.
He recalled that the refusal to respect the judgment culminated in violent attacks on the reinstated officials on February 17, 2025, leading to the killing of Hon. Remi Abbas, one of the chairmen.
Lawal also accused the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Osun State of collaborating with the state government to shut down council operations by coercing workers to stay away from work without legal justification.
The APC chairman further described the local government elections conducted by the state government on February 22, 2025 as a “charade”, noting that the exercise was based on a legally defective five-month notice and is currently being challenged in court.
He alleged that following the elections, the state government filed multiple suits across different courts and jurisdictions, including Osun, Oyo and Abuja, over the same subject matter already settled by the Court of Appeal.
“It was shocking when a High Court judge purportedly interpreted the Court of Appeal judgment within 48 hours and ordered fresh elections, without joining necessary parties or recognising the subsisting appellate judgment,” Lawal said.
He disclosed that the APC had petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC) over the conduct of the judge, adding that although the petition was acknowledged, no action has been communicated to the party till date.
Lawal said similar petitions were submitted following what he described as the “illegal assumption of jurisdiction” by a judge of the Oyo State High Court over Osun local government matters, despite the case being pending before the Supreme Court at the time.
He noted that the Supreme Court judgment of December 5, 2025, which struck out the Osun State Government’s suit, affirmed the validity of the Court of Appeal judgment reinstating the APC chairmen and councillors.
“The Supreme Court made it clear that neither the state government nor its purported council officials have any legal basis to lay claim to local government offices or allocations,” he said.
Lawal added that the apex court also faulted the reliance on judgments in which the Osun State Government was not a party, thereby rendering the February 22, 2025 local government elections a nullity.
He accused the state government of filing over ten “frivolous” lawsuits between February and December 2025 in a bid to undermine the rule of law and frustrate local government administration.
The APC chairman clarified that the reinstated council officials have not sought tenure extension but only approached the court to determine whether their three-year tenure runs from their statutory first sitting and whether valid elections can be conducted during the subsistence of that tenure.
Lawal also condemned what he described as a coordinated media campaign by the state government to blackmail federal authorities, including the Presidency and security agencies, over alleged withholding of council funds.
He called on the National Judicial Council to urgently act on all pending petitions to safeguard judicial integrity and prevent citizens from resorting to self-help.
“We appeal to the NJC to act with dispatch so that confidence in the judiciary is preserved and the rule of law continues to prevail,” he said.
Lawal commended the judiciary, security agencies and the media for what he described as professionalism and restraint during the prolonged legal crisis, while expressing gratitude to the people of Osun State for remaining peaceful.
“We remain committed to lawful conduct and democratic principles. May the rule of law reign supreme in Osun State,” he said.
