By John Dike , Osogbo
A coalition of civil society organisations under the banner of the Network of Civil Society Groups in Osun has accused the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Adepele Ojo, of alleged forum shopping and abuse of judicial powers in the handling of a case involving the United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Osun State local government funds.
Addressing journalists in Osogbo on Friday, the group alleged that the Chief Judge acted in bad faith by importing a judge from another judicial division to hear an ex-parte application connected to the ongoing legal tussle over the multi-billion-naira local government funds.
According to the group, the action undermines public confidence in the judiciary and constitutes misconduct warranting investigation by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
The civil society coalition specifically faulted the decision of the Chief Judge to bring Justice M.O. Agboola from the Ifetedo Judicial Division to the Osogbo Judicial Division to hear an ex-parte application, despite the presence of six substantive judges already assigned to Osogbo.
They argued that Justice Agboola was duty-bound to sit in Ifetedo on January 30, 2026, where he reportedly had eight matters scheduled for hearing, but was instead reassigned to Osogbo for the UBA-related application.
The group further alleged that the move effectively denied litigants in the Ifetedo Judicial Division access to justice on that day, describing the action as discriminatory and unjustified.
Providing details, the coalition stated that Osogbo Judicial Division has six judges—five of whom are senior to Justice Agboola—and questioned why none of them was considered competent to hear what they described as “a mere ex-parte application.”
They also alleged that applications challenging the jurisdiction of the court and raising issues of bias were brought to the attention of Justice Agboola but were allegedly ignored.
Raising a series of questions, the group asked whether the Chief Judge had a personal interest in the case or whether external influences dictated the unusual reassignment of the matter.
“The importation of a judge from another division to hear an ordinary ex-parte application, while depriving litigants elsewhere of their right to be heard, amounts to abuse of office and judicial misconduct,” the coalition said.
The group warned that failure to address the issue would deepen public distrust in the justice system, referencing earlier concerns raised by prominent national figures about the integrity of the judiciary.
They called on the Osun State House of Assembly, Judicial Service Commission, and the National Judicial Council to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the matter and take appropriate disciplinary action if the allegations are proven.
The statement was jointly signed by representatives of several civil society organisations, including Social Economic and Civil Rights Advocacy, Good Governance Initiative, Youths for Better Nigeria, Centre for Accountability and Democracy, and Grassroots Watch.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official response from the Osun State Judiciary or the office of the Chief Judge.
