The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised alarm over what it described as the continued abuse of judicial processes by the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke, alleging that the actions are aimed at intimidating elected local government officials and destabilising governance at the grassroots level.

The opposition party accused the Adeleke-led government of deliberately inflicting hardship on residents across the state, particularly at the local government level, by engaging in multiple court actions over issues already settled by higher courts. The APC warned that such actions could plunge Osun State into avoidable political chaos and developmental setbacks.

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Speaking at a press conference held on Monday at the party’s state secretariat in Osogbo, the APC State Chairman, Mr. Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, criticised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Accord Party-led government for what he described as deliberate attempts to stall grassroots development. Lawal’s address was read by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi.

According to the APC, the Court of Appeal on February 10, 2025, nullified the judgment that removed APC-elected chairmen and councillors across Osun local government councils, a ruling which the state government did not appeal. The party claimed that despite the clear verdict, the government initially refused to accept the judgment, citing a conflicting lower court decision in a related case.

The party further alleged that rather than approaching the Supreme Court for redress, the state government instituted multiple lawsuits across different courts on the same subject matter. The APC described as shocking a development in which a judge, on February 21, 2025, reportedly interpreted the Court of Appeal and Federal High Court judgments and ordered the conduct of fresh local government elections the following day.

The APC said the suit was concluded within 48 hours without joining relevant parties and in disregard of the Court of Appeal ruling that reinstated the APC chairmen and councillors. It added that the Supreme Court, on December 5, 2025, struck out a suit filed by the Osun State Government on the same local government issue, thereby affirming the earlier decision of the Court of Appeal.

According to the party, the Supreme Court ruling clarified that the candidates being presented by the state government as local government chairmen and councillors had no legal standing, noting that the Court of Appeal judgment did not make any such provision in their favour.

The APC stated that with the Supreme Court’s pronouncement, the era of interim orders affecting local government administration in Osun State should have come to an end, insisting that the judicial records clearly support its position.

Fielding questions from journalists, the Osun State Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Hon. Samuel Idowu Abiodun, described the multiple court actions by the Adeleke administration as frivolous and embarrassing. He appealed to relevant stakeholders to prevail on the state government to respect the Supreme Court judgment reinstating APC-elected council officials.

Abiodun lamented that the frequent procurement of court orders had stalled development at the local government level, noting that chairmen had been unable to function effectively due to prolonged legal uncertainties. He alleged that the state government had approached courts both within and outside Osun State, including in Oyo State, despite the presence of competent courts within Osun.

He further claimed that fresh cases were being instituted at lower courts after exhausting legal processes up to the Supreme Court, a move he described as an attempt to frustrate governance and development at the grassroots. According to him, the unresolved legal battles had prevented local governments from accessing statutory funds.

Also speaking, the APC Legal Adviser and Chairman of Irepodun Local Government Area, Hon. Adegoke Ogunsola, accused the state government of misleading the public through what he described as deliberate misinterpretation of court judgments.

Ogunsola maintained that APC-elected chairmen and councillors were legitimately in office, stressing that judgments cited by government officials were quoted out of context. He argued that if any of the rulings favoured the state government, it would have taken over the councils, rather than relying on selective portions of judgments to misinform the public.

The press conference was attended by several APC leaders, including former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Timothy Owoeye; former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Adebayo Adeleke; former Commissioner for Information and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Sunday Akere; former Special Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Rasak Adeosun; and other party officials and youth leaders.