Politics
Osun Claims Victory In Appeal Court’s Ruling On LG Elections
The Osun State Government has claimed victory in the legal warfare surrounding the Local Government Elections conducted on October 15, 2022, and would be proceeding with the planned election on February 22, 2025.
It was gathered that the election became subject of litigation between various political actors and parties in Osun State, challenged the validity.
Notable among the matters before the court were, the Action Peoples Party (APP) against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), APM Babarinde Nurudeen Idowu, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Prince Gboyega Famodun.
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However, following the ruling of the Court of Appeal, on Monday, 10th of February, 2025, the Osun State Government has clarified that it would be complying with the ruling handed down by the “judgement in the Suit No FHC/OS/CS/103/22, the Federal High Court nullified the local govt election conducted by OSSIEC on 15th of Oct. 2022”, and the orders made therein.
It added that it would proceed with the scheduled election into the Local Government billed for February 22, 2025 and cautioned all to maintain law and order.
“We want to use this medium to inform the citizens of Osun State that barring any unforeseen circumstance, the local government election scheduled for 22nd of February 2025 will go on as planned,” it stated.
The Hon. Commissioner, Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi detailed these in a statement in Osogbo on Monday.
He wrote, “The attention of the Osun State Government has been drawn to the judgement of Court of Appeal, delivered today, Monday, 10th of February, 2025 wherein the originating summons filed by the PDP to challenge the validity of the election held on 15th of October 2022 was dismissed on the ground that the notice of the election had not been published by OSSIEC before the suit was filed.
“The simple implication of today’s judgement is that the PDP never filed any case to challenge the validity of that election.
“However, there’s another suit filed by the Action Peoples Party (APP) against INEC, OSSIEC, APM Babarinde Nurudeen Idowu, APGA, APC and Prince Gboyega Famodun which challenged the validity of the local government election held on the 15th of October,2022.
“In its judgement in the Suit No FHC/OS/CS/103/22, the Federal High Court nullified the local govt election conducted by OSSIEC on 15th of Oct. 2022 and made the following clear and positive consequential orders:
“1. The election into the LG councils across Osun State held on 15th October, 2022 pursuant to notice of election issued on the 15/8/2022 is hereby declared unconstitutional, invalid, null and void for violation of the constitution and breach of sections 28,29,32,98 and 150 of Electoral Act 2022.
“2. All persons or individuals occupying offices in the state local government councils by virtue of the said election are accordingly sacked from holding such offices;
“3. Sections 25 and 26 of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2022 having been enacted in contravention of paragraph 12 of the part II, second schedule to the Constitution and being inconsistent with sections 29 and 32 of the Electoral Act 2022 are hereby struck down.
“The judgement above, which was delivered by the Federal High Court on 30th day of November 2022 by Hon. Justice N. Ayo Emmanuel of the Osogbo Federal High Court was appealed against with the Appeal No CA/AK/226M/2024. and the Court of Appeal affirmed the judgement in the ruling delivered on 13th January, 2025.
“Taking the above positions into consideration, the only valid judgement subsisting as at today is the order of the court which nullified the election conducted as enunciated above.
“Therefore, we need to inform the entire citizens of Osun State, most especially, the Security Operatives and Heads of Local Government Administrations (HLA’s) to take note of the fact that, there is no judgement restoring the Yes and No Local Government Chairmen back into the various Local Government Councils in Osun State.
“Consequently, we urge the security operatives to arrest and prosecute anybody, no matter how highly placed, who may want to disrupt the current peace being enjoyed in our dear state.
“We equally, urge all our HLAs to ensure that no intruder or political thug is allowed into the premises of any of our local governments in the state.
“Therefore, anybody who makes an attempt to gain entry into any of the council secretariats should be reported to the security agencies.
“Finally, we want to use this medium to inform the citizens of Osun State that barring any unforeseen circumstance, the local government election scheduled for 22nd of February 2025 will go on as planned.”
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has explained that the persistent crisis and legal disputes within the Peoples Democratic Party compelled him to defect to the All Progressives Congress.
The governor’s defection was formally announced on Monday by his deputy, Mani Mummuni, after a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House in Gusau.
In a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the move was described as a necessary step taken in the interest of the state and supported by political stakeholders across Zamfara.
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According to the statement, Governor Lawal had remained committed to the PDP despite the ongoing leadership crisis and had made several efforts to reconcile factions within the party.
However, attempts to achieve peace and unity reportedly failed, leading to prolonged legal battles.
The development followed a judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which dismissed an appeal filed by the PDP challenging an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court.
The earlier judgment had restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the outcome of the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The governor was said to have informed political stakeholders during a series of meetings that he would make a final decision about his political future after the appellate court delivered its ruling.
Following the judgment, Lawal concluded that joining the APC would better position him to continue what he described as the “Zamfara Rescue and Rebuild Mission.”
His defection marks a significant shift in the political landscape of Zamfara State and could influence political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has handed a significant setback to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, dismissing his appeal challenging a Federal High Court ruling that questioned his eligibility to contest the upcoming governorship election.
A three-member panel delivered a unanimous judgment on Monday, affirming that the trial court acted correctly when it allowed Dr Akindele Egbuwalo, the plaintiff, to amend his originating summons.
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Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who read the lead judgment, said the governor failed to show that the High Court’s decision caused any miscarriage of justice or denied him a fair hearing.
The appeal was therefore dismissed for lacking merit, and the court awarded ₦2 million in costs against Aiyedatiwa.
The ruling reinforces the November 24, 2025, Federal High Court decision in Akure, which granted Egbuwalo permission to challenge Aiyedatiwa’s eligibility for re-election.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal also rejected an application by Aiyedatiwa to set aside a January 27, 2026, order staying proceedings in the case before the Federal High Court.
The appellate court clarified that the stay was a lawful exercise of its jurisdiction aimed at protecting the integrity of the proceedings.
The panel further emphasized that attempting to overturn its own order would be akin to sitting on appeal over its own decision.
The governor’s remaining option, the court noted, is to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court. Another ₦2 million in costs was awarded against Aiyedatiwa.
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party has deepened following a ruling by the Court of Appeal in Abuja which upheld a ban on the party’s proposed national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A three-man panel of the appellate court on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the party led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear a suit concerning the controversial convention.
The Turaki-led faction had approached the Court of Appeal after a Federal High Court barred the party from holding its planned national convention scheduled for November 14 and 15, 2025.
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The lower court also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising or validating the proposed convention.
However, delivering judgment, the appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court had the authority to entertain the case, rejecting the argument that the matter was purely an internal affair of the party.
According to the court, the appellants could not present what it described as a clear violation of the party’s constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as merely an internal party issue.
The panel subsequently dismissed the appeal and awarded a cost of N2 million against the appellants.
The ruling is part of judgments delivered in nine harmonised appeals filed by the Turaki-led faction over the dispute surrounding the convention.
The latest court decision is expected to further intensify the internal wrangling within the opposition party as it continues to grapple with leadership disputes and preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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