OSSIEC Chairman, Osun PDP Say New Appeal Court Ruling Has Reaffirmed Removal Of 2022 LG Chairmen From Office

A Court of Appeal ruling on Friday returned attention to the stand-off over the control of local governments in Osun State and it had since become a topic for discussion especially among social media users in the State of the Living Spring.

Chairman of Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC), Barrister Hashim Abioye issued a statement in Osogbo on Friday asserting that the Court of Appeal has upheld the decision to sack chairmen and councilors who were declared elected in the local government elections held on October 15, 2022.

‘Dear good people, indigenes and residents of Osun State, especially those who are stakeholders in the Osun State local government electoral process, I am glad to inform you that the Court of Appeal sitting in Akure has today reaffirmed that the local government elections conducted by this electoral body in 2022 under the immediate past administration is null and void, and as such the acclaimed beneficiaries of the said election benefitted nothing. This translated to the fact that as at the time this electoral body under my leadership commenced the process of the February 2025 local government elections throughout the period of the election, vacancies did exist in the local governments in Osun State’ he said.

While noting that it is the constitutional mandate of the electoral umpire to organize and supervise the conduct of local government elections in the state at the appropriate time, Hashim added that this mandate was effectively and responsibly discharged by giving a notice of election in full compliance with relevant electoral laws and in total fidelity to applicable regulations and guidelines.

OSIEC, he noted, had conducted Local government elections in the state on February 22, 2025, which produced new councilors and local government chairmen but efforts were made to stop them from enjoying their mandate while they enjoyed the support of the nation’s police chief and the chief law officer of the country.  

‘However, in what appeared to be an outlandish postulation and a deliberate manipulation, some saboteurs made attempts to frustrate the conduct of the election by forcing on us a bizarre situation- a false claim of reinstatement and a bogus claim of ‘NO VACANCY’. The dangerous actors had twisted the decision of the Court of Appeal delivered on 10th February, 2025, by importing into the same what was not therein contained. They cleverly invented the word ‘reinstatement’, then they enlisted and unfortunately got the backing of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun who collaborated together to jeopardize the process of the local government elections which was commenced since about a year before these manipulative theatrics.

OSSIEC office was sealed up by the police on the order of the IGP, acting on the ‘advice’ of the AGF. As a matter of fact, the Force Headquarters through the PPRO made a release on the election eve, warning against holding the election. It must be noted that the advice of the AGF and the directive by the IGP afforded some political actors the opportunity to fire open threats at the Commission and its staff some hours to the election. There were also some incidents of arrest, harassment, intimidation and molestation of some of the staff engaged by the Commission. On the order of the IGP, banking on the advice of the AGF, NOT on any court order, OSSIEC premises was sealed up, thank God for our alertness and proactiveness as we sensed all of the game, hence we deployed a strategy by the grace of God, and it worked. The election held peacefully and successfully, winners emerged and were duly issued certificate of returns.

The AGF and the IGP for obvious reasons, ignored a subsisting decision of the Court of Appeal dismissing the appeal by a political party in yet another judgment which nullified the 2022 Osun State local government elections. Sadly again, they both derided and encouraged the derision of the valid judgment of Osun State High Court , Ilesa which declared that vacancies existed and that OSSIEC should go ahead to fill the vacancies across all the local governments in Osun State.

This has been the situation, up until today when the same Court of Appeal gave its verdict which in crystal clear terms implied that there was no reinstatement’ he said.

Barrister Hashim noted that the Friday’s court ruling was ‘a vindication of our conviction and a validation of our action, all along’ while asserting that those who emerged as winners in the election held on February 22, 2025, are the authentic local government officials in the state.

‘Let me reiterate it that our products of February 22, 2025, are the only legitimate officials who are to function as political heads of the respective Osun local councils. Dealing with any other persons or category of persons is an aberration and a big risk. This is a ‘CAVEAT EMPTOR’ note to all persons and authorities that only the winners of the Osun 2025 local government elections who have been duly sworn-in are the legitimate officials’ he submitted while adding that the AGF and IGP owe the people of Osun State sincere apologies.

The state PDP has also reacted to the ruling in question asserting that the Court of Appeal, Akure, has upheld the decision to declare the 2022 LG chairmen sacked while condemning the alleged attempt by the state APC to twist the ruling that is ‘crystal clear’.

The state PDP Chairman, Hon Sunday Bisi in a statement he issued in Osogbo and made available to Team@orientactualmags.com asserted that the ‘only legitimate  local government chairmen today are the PDP-elected leaders, who were chosen by the people of the state on February  22, 2025.

‘For the record, the respected Justice Obiora, reading the unanimous judgment of three learned Justices, stated in open court that the APC’s so-called reinstatement is a lie, warning the party to stop turning the judiciary into a tool for political blackmail and confusion.

The Court minced no words, describing APC’s failed motion as a ‘self-inflicted injury’ and made it plain that ‘Equity aids the vigilant, not the indolent’.

The APC abandoned its appeal for nearly two years, failed to compile the record, then returned to court shamelessly to revive it — and got exactly what they deserved: outright dismissal.

It is laughable that a party so ignorant of basic law now insults the people’s intelligence by claiming a phantom ‘sanctity’ for a judgment that never reinstated their illegal chairmen in the first place.

The court itself condemned APC’s misrepresentation of its February 10th ruling, exposing their desperation for power they lost both at the polls and in the courtroom.

Let it be clear: the so-called ‘Yes or No’ charade of 2022 is buried forever under the weight of multiple valid court judgments.

The only legitimate local government chairmen today are the PDP-elected leaders, chosen by the people on February 22, 2025, under a lawful process the court has upheld’ he said.

The party also urged the good people of Osun State to ignore the ‘bitter cries’ of those it called ‘serial losers’ while submitting that ‘the law is clear, the facts are public, and the PDP remains committed to defending democracy, sanity and the rule of law in our local councils’-Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you