The lingering local government crisis in Osun State has taken a new turn as reinstated All Progressives Congress (APC) local government executives have filed a suit against the Federal Government, the Inspector General of Police, and the Osun State Government, seeking clarity and protection over their tenure.
The affected officials, elected in October 2022 but initially removed following a Federal Court ruling nullifying their election, were reinstated by the Court of Appeal in February 2025. Despite this, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) swiftly conducted local government elections on 22 February 2025, swearing in their own executives and creating a dual claim to local council control.
Since then, the crisis has deepened with the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Osun State embarking on a strike, while federal allocations to local councils have remained frozen, escalating tensions between the parties involved.
In a fresh legal move, counsel Muhideen Adeoye, representing Saheed Onibonokuta and seven other APC local government chairmen, filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Osogbo (suit number FHC/OS/CS/147/2025), seeking an extension of their tenure until 19 February 2028.
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The defendants named in the suit include the Attorney General of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, the Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, the Osun State Attorney General, the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), and the Osun State House of Assembly.
The claimants argue that under the Constitution and Osun State laws, their tenure should commence from the date they were inaugurated and assumed office in February 2025 — not from October 2022, when they were elected but prevented from taking office.
They contend that the conduct of fresh local government elections in February 2025 while their tenure was still subsisting was unlawful and infringed upon their constitutional right to serve a full term.
The suit seeks a declaration that OSSIEC lacked authority to issue notices of poll, conduct elections, or swear in new council members during the pendency of their tenure. It further describes all actions taken by state authorities since 22 February 2025 to install new executives as illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void.
Additionally, the claimants demand the court declare any interpretation by the Attorney General of the Federation limiting their tenure to October 2025 as unconstitutional and beyond his legal powers.
They have also requested the court to order the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police to provide security to ensure their uninterrupted stay in office until February 2028, when their lawful three-year term is due to expire.
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Furthermore, the suit calls for a restraining order against Governor Adeleke, the Osun State Attorney General, the State House of Assembly, and OSSIEC, preventing them from removing or interfering with the claimants’ tenure before its natural expiration.
The plaintiffs warned that any forced removal before February 2028 would amount to a violation of due process and their constitutional rights.
This latest legal development adds another layer to the protracted local government crisis in Osun, which has seen a bitter contest between the Osun APC, Osun PDP, and the State Government since 2022.
