Osun court orders OSIEC to conduct LG poll February 22
The Osun State High Court sitting in Ilesa on Friday has ordered the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) to conduct a local government election scheduled for tomorrow, February 22nd, 2025.
Recall, the Appeal Court on February 10th, 2025 reinstated council executives elected in October 2022 who are members of All Progressives Congress (APC) back to office. Subsequently, APC tackled OSIEC not to ahead with the poll.
Also, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN on Thursday night urged OSIEC through Governor Ademola Adeleke not to conduct the election, tagging it as illegal because the Appeal Court reinstated the council executives voted in 2022.
Meanwhile, a State High Court presided over by Justice Adeyinka Aderibigbe in a Motion on Notice granted to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against OSIEC and its chairman, Barrister Hashim Abioye declared vacancies in all 30 councils of Osun State.
He hinged the declaration on the court order of the Federal High Court in suit number
FHC/CS/OS/103/2022; between Action Peoples Party (APP), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and others which voided the LG poll of October 2022.
He stated that the order sacking them was confirmed by the decision of the Court Appeal in Appeal No: CA/AK/226M/2024; Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and others on the 13th of January, 2025.
The order read in part; “An order of this Honourable Court directing, mandating, and compelling the Defendants to fill the vacancies across the 30 Local Government Areas of Osun State through a democratic process by proceeding to conduct the local government elections already scheduled by the Defendants for 22″ of February 2025.
“An order of this Honorable Court directing, mandating and compelling all the security agencies comprising of the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Army, the Department of State Security Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the National Drugs and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Amotekun corps, the Vigilante group etc. to provide adequate security and maintain peace and order before, during and after the local government election scheduled by the Defendants 22d February 2025 in Osun State.”
Aderibigbe granted the order, saying, “I have carefully perused the two judgments, and I agree with the position of the claimant’s counsel that there does not impede the election fixed by the defendant for Saturday, 22/02/2025.
“In the light of the above, there is nothing precluding the defendants from proceeding with the election into the Local Government in Osun State already fixed for Saturday, 22/02/2025.”
