The political crisis surrounding local government councils in Osun State has intensified as officials elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have filed a lawsuit against the federal government and state governor, seeking an extension of their tenure.
The officials, who were recently reinstated by a Court of Appeal ruling, have asked the Federal High Court to declare that their term should be extended until February 2028 instead of expiring in October this year.
The claimants, including Saheed Onibonokuta and seven other local council chairmen, filed the suit against the Attorney General of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, Governor Ademola Adeleke, the state Attorney General, the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC), and the state House of Assembly.
The legal action represents the latest development in a prolonged dispute over control of the local councils. The APC officials were originally elected in October 2022 but were sacked by Governor Adeleke after a Federal Court declared the election illegal. Their reinstatement in February 2025 through a Court of Appeal verdict created a complex situation, as new officials from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had already been sworn in following local elections held on February 22.
In the originating summons filed by their lawyer, Muhideen Adeoye, the claimants argued that their tenure should be calculated from when they actually assumed office following their reinstatement, not from their original election date.
Citing Sections 6(6)(b) and 7 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended); Section 91 of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2022; and Sections 3(2), 9, 10, and 28 of the Local Government (Administration) Law, Cap. 72A, Laws of Osun State, Adeoye argued that “the claimants’ tenure of office ought to commence upon inauguration of office and after taking their seats as democratically elected members of the local government councils in Osun State.”
The court documents further stated: “Upon a combined interpretation of Section 91, the claimants, who were not allowed to take their first sitting as democratically elected members of the various local government councils in Osun State before 9th February, 2025, can not be compelled to vacate office on the 17th day of October, 2025, or on any other date in October 2025.”
The claimants also challenged the validity of the February elections that brought the PDP officials to power, arguing that OSIEC could not have legally conducted elections while their tenure was still active.
They sought several declarations from the court, including that “OSIEC cannot validly issue a notice of polls, conduct elections into the councils and swear in another set of members during the subsistence of the tenure of office” and that all steps taken to install new council members were “illegal, unlawful, invalid, unconstitutional, null and void.”
Additionally, they requested the court to restrain Governor Adeleke and other defendants from taking any action to remove them from office in October 2025 or anytime before February 19, 2028.
The ongoing crisis has paralysed local government administration in the state, with the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) having abandoned work and council allocations being withheld.
The situation reflects the continuing political tensions in Osun State and highlights the complexities that can arise from conflicting court rulings and political transitions at the local government level.
The case continues at the Federal High Court, with stakeholders awaiting the court’s decision on these matters.