An Oyo State High Court has dismissed an application filed by former All Progressives Congress (APC) local government chairmen in Osun State seeking access to frozen council funds held at United Bank for Africa (UBA). The suit, numbered I/1149/2025, challenged an ex parte order dated 26 September 2025 that had frozen the disputed accounts. The former chairmen argued that the freeze impeded governance across council areas and would contravene the 1999 Constitution if left in force.
During the hearing, neither the applicants nor the principal parties appeared. Senior Advocate of Nigeria Musibau Adetunbi represented the Osun State Attorney General, while Oluwatomiwa Fadeyi appeared for UBA. Justice Ladiran Akintola ruled that the application lacked merit, stating that the sacked chairmen had no legally recognizable interest in the frozen funds and therefore no locus standi to seek discharge of the ex parte order or to strike out the suit. The court noted that the applicants’ withdrawal of an earlier application for joinder amounted to an acknowledgment that they had no legal claim to the funds, leading to the dismissal of the application in its entirety.
The APC responded by saying the ruling had been misinterpreted by political opponents. The party clarified that the judgment did not affirm the 22 February 2025 local government election and that the court merely held that the objectors were not parties before it. The APC also cited pending petitions before the National Judicial Council and the Chief Judge of Oyo State, challenging Justice Akintola’s handling of the matter. According to the party, the reinstated APC chairmen and councillors remain lawfully in charge of the councils and will continue to perform their constitutional duties.
The case is set to continue on 18 December 2025, when the court reconvenes for mention. The outcome may have significant implications for local governance in Osun State, and the decision will be closely watched by stakeholders and the public.
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