Osun LG Crisis: APC Chairs Sue FG, Seek Tenure to 2028.

The protracted local government crisis in Osun State has escalated into a full-blown constitutional showdown, with a group of reinstated All Progressives Congress (APC) local government chairmen launching a fresh legal assault to extend their tenure until 2028. This move, which has sent shockwaves through the state’s political landscape, pits the APC executives against the Federal Government, the Inspector General of Police, and the Osun State Government, underscoring the deep-seated political rivalry that has paralyzed grassroots administration and left citizens caught in the middle of a power tussle.

The current dispute is rooted in a political drama that began immediately after Governor Ademola Adeleke’s inauguration in November 2022. The Governor, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), promptly dissolved the local councils and appointed caretaker committees, a move that was fiercely contested by the APC chairmen who had been elected just a month earlier by the previous administration. This initial conflict spiraled into a legal battle, culminating in a Federal High Court nullifying the APC’s elections. However, the Court of Appeal delivered a landmark ruling in February 2025 that set aside the lower court’s decision and reinstated the APC officials, seemingly ending the standoff.

The appellate court’s ruling, however, was quickly overshadowed by a new local government election held by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) on February 22, 2025. Following the election, new PDP members were sworn in as council executives, creating a bizarre and untenable situation where two separate groups laid claim to the same positions. This judicial and political conflict has had devastating consequences for the people of Osun State. The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has been on strike since the saga began, crippling essential services at the grassroots level. Furthermore, federal allocations to local councils have been frozen by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), a move that has starved the councils of funds for development, maintenance, and the payment of salaries.

In their new suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Osogbo, the APC executives are making a bold and profound legal argument. Their counsel, Muhideen Adeoye, representing Saheed Onibonokuta and seven other chairmen, is seeking a declaration that their three-year tenure should commence from the date they were actually inaugurated and assumed office in February 2025, not from the date of their election in October 2022, when they were unlawfully prevented from taking office. This argument hinges on the fundamental principle that a public official’s tenure should be counted from the moment they begin to perform their duties. They contend that the conduct of a new election while their tenure was still subsisting was an unlawful and unconstitutional infringement on their right to a full term in office.

The claimants are seeking multiple declarations from the court, including one that states OSSIEC lacked the constitutional authority to conduct fresh elections while their tenure was still valid. They further maintain that any steps taken by the state government to install new council members since February 22, 2025, are illegal, unconstitutional, and of no effect. In a move that highlights the national implications of the case, they are also seeking a declaration that the Attorney General of the Federation lacks the legal powers to curtail their tenure, arguing that any interpretation that seeks to end their term in October 2025 is an abuse of due process.

Beyond the legal arguments, the suit reveals the desperation of the reinstated chairmen to reclaim their positions and fulfill their mandates. They have asked the court to compel the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police to provide them with security, guaranteeing their continued stay in office until February 2028. This plea underscores the tense and volatile political environment in Osun State, where the rule of law appears to be engaged in a tug-of-war with political power. The lawsuit serves as a final plea to the judiciary to enforce its own rulings and provide a clear resolution to a crisis that has left the local government system in a state of administrative and financial paralysis. The outcome of this case will not only determine the future of local government in Osun but may also set a crucial legal precedent for the interpretation of tenure and the enforcement of judicial rulings across Nigeria.