APC appeals as court sacks Osun LG chairman

A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has sacked the current set of executives and legislators running local government areas.

The council chairmen and councillors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in the October 15, 2022, local government elections held at the twilight of the Adegboyega Oyetola administration, returned to office in February 2025 and have been running the council areas in the state since then.

Justice Adefunmilola A. Demi-Ajayi delivered the judgment in the suit No FHC/OS/CS/147/2025 filed by the chairmen and councillors, seeking elongation of their tenure on Monday.

But counsel for the sacked LG officers, Muhydeen Adeoye, during a chat with The PUNCH on Tuesday, said the claimants had filed an appeal against the judgment before the Court of Appeal, Akure Division.

The suit dismissed by the Federal High Court was instituted by Onibonokuta Saheed, Ayegbayo Gbolahan, Olayera Elugbaju, Adegbite Mufutau, Balogun Olanrewaju, Adeyemi Fatai, Isola Kamoli, and Adeyemi Elliot for themselves and on behalf of all other local government chairmen and councillors elected on October 15, 2022, in Osun State.

Besides Governor Ademola Adeleke, other respondents in the matter included the Attorney General of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, the Osun State Attorney General and the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission.

The claimants had approached the court to determine when their tenure starts, having been stopped from acting after taking the oath of office on October 25, 2022.

The suit commenced in September 2025, and following a number of appeals arising from the interlocutory rulings, the Court of Appeal in Abuja sat on the matter on June 3, 2026, and adjourned the hearing of the appeals to September 28, 2026.

Delivering judgment on the matter, Justice Demi-Ajayi dismissed the suit and declared that the three-year tenure of the council officials had ended in October 2025.

The judge held that “the tenure of office of the elected officers of the local government councils ended in October 2025.”

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Reacting to the judgment, Adeleke said the dismissal of the elongation request was in conformity with the stipulations of the constitution.

“The court also held that the sacked chairmen have no legal foundation to file the case in the first place. Based on this ruling, it is clear that the Yes/No chairmen’s tenure, if at all they have any, elapsed in October 2025,” Adeleke said.

He consequently called on the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to direct the Osun state police command to stop its current support for the chairmen.

Adeleke further said, “I specifically direct the Commissioner of Police to stop providing further security cover for the illegal occupation of the council secretariats by the sacked chairmen.”

Osun APC, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, however, said by implication, the judgment also annulled the elections conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission on February 22, 2025.

Olabisi subsequently urged members of the public “to be wary of the usual misleading information being peddled by the Osun State Government over the void elections and swearing-in purportedly done in February, 2025.”

Meanwhile, Adeoye, counsel for the sacked council chairmen and councillors, said his clients have “headed to the Court of Appeal by a Notice of Appeal filed today, 16th June, 2026.

Adeoye said, “Six grounds of appeal were primarily raised. The appellants have, by the notice of appeal, said the lower court set a case different from what was placed before the court for determination.

“In addition, we have a motion to restrain the respondents from disturbing the chairmen and councillors pending the final determination of the appeal.”