A fresh lawsuit has been filed at the Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, by reinstated executives of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against the Federal Government, the Inspector General of Police, and the Osun State Government. The officials were initially removed by Governor Ademola Adeleke after a Federal Court nullified their election in October 2022, but the Court of Appeal Division reinstated them in February 2025. The suit, numbered FHC/OS/CS/147/2025, seeks an extension of their tenure until 19 February 2028.
The claimants, represented by counsel Muhideen Adeoye, argue that their tenure should be counted from the date they were inaugurated and assumed office in February 2025, not from October 2022. They contend that the fresh local government elections held in February 2025 were unlawful and infringed on their constitutional right to a full term. Accordingly, they seek a declaration that the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) lacked authority to issue notices of polls, conduct elections, or swear in new council members during the pendency of their tenure.
Defendants in the suit include the Attorney General of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, the Osun State Governor, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the OSSIEC, and the Osun State House of Assembly. The claimants also request that the court direct the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police to provide security guaranteeing their continued stay in office until February 2028, and to restrain Governor Ademola Adeleke and other state authorities from removing them or interfering with their tenure before its natural expiration.
The lawsuit represents the latest development in the ongoing local government crisis in Osun State, which has been marked by a standoff between the APC, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the state government. The crisis deepened after PDP members were sworn in as council executives following the local government elections on 22 February 2025, despite the appellate court’s ruling reinstating the APC executives. In response, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Osun has embarked on a strike, and federal allocations to local councils remain frozen.
The case, which escalates a dispute that began in 2022, is expected to have far‑reaching implications for the administration of local governments in Osun State and for the political tensions between the APC and the PDP. As it progresses, it is likely to attract close attention from stakeholders and observers, given its potential to shape the trajectory of the state’s local government administration.
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