Osun PDP Demands Probe into Controversial Federal High Court Letters

The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised fresh concerns over alleged irregularities in the handling of a legal dispute surrounding local government funds in the state. On Thursday, the party publicly demanded that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court (FHC) investigate the issuance of controversial letters allegedly emanating from his office, warning that such actions could undermine judicial integrity and erode public trust in the legal system.

At a press conference in Osogbo, the PDP chairman, Hon. Sunday Bisi, described the situation as “a bizarre and unprecedented abuse of judicial process.” The party insisted that unauthorized individuals had issued letters relating to the case, including one dated September 2, 2025, which directed that a vacation judge should continue hearing a matter substantively even after the vacation period—a move the PDP described as unlawful.

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PDP Challenges Authenticity of Judicial Letters

Bisi explained that the September 2 letter was particularly troubling because it was not signed by any judicial officer. Instead, it carried the signature of an unnamed individual on behalf of a personal aide to the Chief Judge. “Assignment of cases is a judicial decision. Judicial powers cannot be exercised by proxies or by personal assistants. They are reserved exclusively for judicial officers (judges),” Bisi declared.

He recalled that this was not the first time such a questionable document had surfaced. On August 21, 2025, a letter purportedly signed by one Joshua Ibrahim Aji, who identified himself as the Special Assistant to the Chief Judge, had also attempted to assign judicial duties. The PDP described that move as “a gross aberration,” since only judges are constitutionally empowered to exercise judicial functions.

The September 2 letter, Bisi continued, was even more suspicious because it was delivered to Osun State counsel on September 11, more than a week after it was allegedly signed. He argued that the delay suggested the letter might have been backdated to achieve political purposes.

“When the case came up on September 8, 2025 in Abuja, neither the court nor the party to which the letter was addressed mentioned it. That makes the whole matter even more bizarre and unacceptable,” Bisi added.

Legal and Political Concerns

The PDP highlighted clear provisions of the Federal High Court Act, which stipulate that transferring a case from one judge to another can only be done through a formal application in open court, not through private correspondence.

The party also condemned what it described as prejudicial statements contained in one of the letters, where the Chief Judge’s office reportedly suggested that the case would become “nugatory” if not heard during vacation. “For an administrative letter to prejudge the issue shows bias and prejudice, and compromises the independence of the judiciary,” the PDP stressed.

The controversy deepened when it was revealed that the September 2 letter was addressed directly to Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN), counsel to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), who was already withdrawn from the case at the time. The PDP questioned why the office of the Chief Judge would correspond with a non-party to the matter.

“This is strange, bizarre, and deeply troubling. We are left to wonder: why is the office of the Chief Judge afraid to have this case heard in the Osogbo Division of the Federal High Court where it was filed?” Bisi asked.

PDP Accuses AGF of Bias

Beyond questioning the authenticity of the letters, the Osun PDP accused the Attorney-General of the Federation of playing a partisan role in the crisis. According to the party, the AGF has consistently disregarded court rulings affirming the legitimacy of elected PDP local government officials in Osun.

Specifically, the party referenced Suit No. FHC/OS/CS/103/2022, decided on November 30, 2022, and later upheld by the Court of Appeal in Akure on June 13, 2025. The PDP alleged that instead of enforcing these rulings, the AGF had backed attempts by sacked APC chairmen and councillors to elongate their tenures through “reckless judicial adventures.”

“The AGF’s actions keep suggesting to reasonable members of the public that he has effectively turned the Federal High Court into an annex of his Chambers,” Bisi declared. He also accused the AGF of filing a similar case at the Supreme Court in pursuit of the same objective.

The PDP further argued that while the AGF initially sought an expeditious hearing during the vacation, the narrative changed by September 2, when a directive was suddenly issued to empower a vacation judge to act substantively—despite no such application being filed by any party.

“This is not a mere technicality. This is a deliberate attempt to erode judicial independence and impose political bias on the courts,” the party maintained.

 Probe and Restoration of Judicial Integrity

Concluding its remarks, the Osun PDP called on the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to take urgent action by probing the alleged irregularities and identifying those responsible.

“We, the PDP in Osun State, therefore call on the Honourable Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to immediately probe these irregularities. He must investigate how and why persons, purportedly working in his office, who are not judicial officers, are signing letters that carry the force of judicial authority,” Bisi said.

The party stressed that the matter must be returned to the Osogbo Division of the Federal High Court, where it was originally filed. Any request for transfer, it added, must be openly debated before the presiding judge, not handled “through secret letters or shadowy signatures.”

For the PDP, the controversy transcends Osun politics. It raises deer questions about judicial independence, transparency, and the sanctity of the rule of law in Nigeria. “We demand accountability. We demand transparency. Above all, we demand respect for the rule of law,” Bisi concluded.