Court Orders Osun Electoral Commission to Proceed with LG Elections

The Osun State High Court in Ilesa has affirmed the existence of vacancies in local government chairmanship and councillorship positions across the 30 local government areas and the area office in Osun State. The court has directed the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) to proceed with the scheduled local government elections on February 22, 2025.

The ruling follows a suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of the political parties contesting in the election. According to Hezekiah Bamiji Oladele, Media Director of the Osun State PDP, the court’s decision was delivered on Friday, February 21, 2025.

The court established that the local government election conducted on October 15, 2022, had been nullified and declared void. This decision was based on a previous judgment by the Federal High Court in suit number FHC/CS/OS/103/2022 between the Action Peoples Party (APP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) & Others. The Federal High Court ruling, delivered on November 30, 2022, was later upheld by the Court of Appeal in Appeal No: CA/AK/226M/2024, Allied Peoples Movement (APM) & Others v. Action Peoples Party (APP) & Others, on January 13, 2025. As a result, the purportedly elected officials were removed, thereby confirming the existence of vacancies in the local councils.

Following this determination, the court upheld the PDP’s request, ordering OSSIEC to fill the vacant positions through a democratic election process. The court specifically mandated the electoral body to proceed with the local government elections as planned on February 22, 2025.

Furthermore, the court directed all security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Army, the Department of State Security Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Amotekun Corps, and local vigilante groups, to ensure adequate security before, during, and after the election.