19 Candidates Sue Osun State Governor, Electoral Commission Over Disqualification
In a recent development, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State and 19 of its candidates for the upcoming local government elections have taken the State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) to court. The lawsuit comes after the 19 candidates were disqualified from participating in the proposed poll.
Joined as co-defendants in the suit are the Osun State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Oluwole Jimi-Bada. The APC and the 19 affected candidates are challenging OSSIEC’s refusal to accept the substitution of their names, which led to their disqualification. They have filed suit No. Hos/184/2024, represented by Mr. Muhydeen Adeoye.
The claimants have asked the court to declare the processes leading to the February 2025 poll illegal, null, and void. They are also seeking N100,000,000.00 in damages and a written apology for the public embarrassment, humiliation, and trauma caused by OSSIEC’s actions.
According to the originating summons dated October 18, 2024, the defendants failed to constitute the Local Government and Area Council Election Tribunal. This, the claimants argue, has denied them the opportunity to challenge OSSIEC’s decisions against them. They claim that this oversight has rendered the processes conducted so far by OSSIEC in connection with the proposed 2025 Local Government Elections illegal.
The claimants question the legality of OSSIEC’s actions, citing Sections 13, 15, and 24(1) of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2022. They ask whether OSSIEC has the power to amend a Notice of Elections already issued and published on February 19, 2024, midway into the 2025 Local Government Elections.
Furthermore, the claimants pray that the court declares all activities taken so far by OSSIEC as premature, illegal, null, and void. They also seek a declaration that OSSIEC acted illegally by amending the Notice of the 2025 Local Government Elections issued on February 19, 2024.
As the court prepares to hear the lawsuit, the 19 APC candidates remain hopeful that their participation in the local government elections will be reinstated. The outcome of the case will be closely watched, as it has significant implications for the democratic process in Osun State.
