From Richard Akintade, Osogbo
Tensions flared in Osogbo yesterday following a ruling by the Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, which struck out an application by the All Progressives Congress ,APC, seeking to relist its appeal against the Federal High Court’s 2022 judgment nullifying the controversial local government elections held on September 15, 2022, in Osun State.
The judgment, delivered virtually by Justice Peter Chudi Obiorah on behalf of a unanimous three-member panel, ignited mixed reactions. Members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party ,PDP, described the decision as a reaffirmation of justice, while the APC quickly dismissed PDP’s claims and accused it of spreading misinformation.
In a statement, the APC’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, maintained that an earlier judgment by the Court of Appeal on February 10, 2025, had reinstated the sacked APC chairmen and councillors, asserting that the PDP was deliberately distorting facts to mislead the public.
However, the PDP countered that the September 2022 elections which produced what they termed the “Yes or No” APC chairmen had been nullified by the Federal High Court, and no subsequent judgment had reinstated them.
Justice Obiorah firmly rebuked the APC’s interpretation of the court’s February 10 ruling, stating that the appellate court had never reinstated the sacked local government officials. He warned against politicizing judicial decisions for public sympathy.
“It is a case of volenti non fit injuria—they cannot complain about a self-inflicted injury. Equity aids the vigilant, not the indolent”, Justice Obiorah said.
The court observed that the APC abandoned its appeal for nearly two years and only one of the three appellants even sought to relist. Justice Obiorah dismissed the application for lacking merit and warned that the court would not revisit matters it had already concluded.
“This sudden attempt to resurrect the appeal would only create confusion, and this Court will not allow itself to be lured into effectively sitting again on a matter it has already determined”, he added.
Reacting to the ruling, Osun PDP Chairman, Hon. Sunday Bisi, said the judgment confirmed the party’s stance that APC’s legal efforts were politically motivated and lacked substance.
“This is a triumph of truth and justice over wishful thinking and irritating grandstanding”, Bisi declared.
He praised Governor Ademola Adeleke for his peaceful leadership and thanked the people of Osun for their resilience in the face of what he called APC’s “brazen lawlessness”. He also commended OSSIEC for conducting the February 22, 2025 elections that installed the current PDP-led councils.
Bisi further accused former Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s administration of orchestrating an illegal process to cling to power after its 2022 gubernatorial loss.
“The 2022 local government elections were a total violation of Nigeria’s electoral laws”, Bisi stated
In a separate statement, Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, described the ruling as a victory for the rule of law.
“There has never been any judgment that reinstated the ‘Yes or No’ APC chairmen”, Alimi said, accusing the former APC administration of plunging the state into unnecessary political turmoil
He called on former Governor Oyetola and the APC to apologize to the people for what he termed the “avoidable chaos” they caused.
The Osun APC, however, fired back, accusing the PDP of deliberate misinformation. In a strongly worded statement, Kola Olabisi insisted that the judgment delivered on June 13, 2025, did not overturn the Court of Appeal’s earlier decision of February 10, which they claim had reinstated their officials.
“The ruling was merely on a motion to relist a previously abandoned appeal ,Appeal No. CA/AK/226M/2022, not the February 10 decision , Appeal No. CA/AK/270/2022″, Olabisi clarified.
He stressed that the February judgment remains valid and binding, as no appeal has been filed against it.
“The Court made it clear that it was not revisiting or reversing its February 10 decision. That ruling remains superior to the Federal High Court’s judgment of November 30, 2022″, he said.
The APC warned PDP officials, particularly Hashim Abioye and Kolapo Alimi, against inciting the public and security agencies with “misleading claims”, stating that any harm to its reinstated officials would be attributed to them.
Olabisi also defended lawyer Muhideen Adeoye, saying contrary to PDP claims, the court did not lambast him but merely noted that lack of communication with his clients was not a convincing excuse.
“There is no vacancy in Osun’s local governments. The PDP’s celebrations are premature and based on distortions”, the APC stated, hinting that it may consider appealing the June 13 decision to the Supreme Court.
With both parties claiming judicial vindication and accusing each other of misinformation, the political standoff in Osun State over local government leadership appears far from over. Legal experts and political observers are now closely watching whether the matter proceeds to the Supreme Court or sparks further political unrest.
