"APC raising false alarm, afraid of court actions over illegal occupation of LG Secretariats ", says Osun government

• Governor Adeleke Filed no Case on LG Face Off

Osun state government has accused the All Progressives Congress in the state of raising false alarm to justify its illegal occupation of local government secretariats in the state.

Spokesperson to the Governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed in a statement on Sunday noted that in all of the cases in court against the APC, Governor Adeleke did not file any case adding that the false alarm by APC is because they are scared of losing in court.

He further stated that the cases in court is between PDP, NULGE and APC, stressing further that APC should face its legal battle and not drag the Governor in to its mess.

The statement reads, “Osun state All Progressive Congress (APC) is afraid of imminent backlash over its illegal occupation of local government secretariats and has embarked on an open blackmail of the judiciary.

“Additionally, the state APC is lying about an open secret that it faces three lawsuits over its invasion of the local government secretariats namely; the first by the duly elected local government chairmen and councillors of PDP under ALGON, the second by the state local government workers under NULGE and the third by the All Peoples Party (APP) which sued the APC for contempt of Court for ignoring a subsisting court judgement that sacked its Yes/No chairmen.

“In all these cases, Governor Ademola Adeleke did not and has no intention of instituting any court action after his directive to PDP elected chairmen and councilors to abide by the rule of law and avoid violence.

“The APC alarm of plots to deploy violence against the illegal court-sacked Yes/No chairmen is mere fantasy and failed attempt to escape the legal consequences of their unconstitutional and reprehensible occupation of local governments secretariats across Osun state.

“It would be recalled that direct stakeholders in the current face off took legal actions to eject usurpers and anti-democratic elements from local government secretariats across the state.

“The validly elected council chairmen, vice Chairmen and councillors filed very potent lawsuits to flush out Yes/No council chairmen who are on a campaign of self help rather than rule of law.

“The workers union at the local government level, NULGE, as an interested stakeholder has also resorted to the judicial system.

“The specific reliefs were sought from the courts by both NULGE and the legally elected council chiefs as follows:

“WHAT PDP ELECTED COUNCIL CHIEFS SEEKS FROM THE COURT- A DECLARATION that the 1st – 8th Defendants, having been removed from office as Chairmen and Councilors of the Local Government Councils in Osun State by a subsisting and extant Judgment of the Federal High Court delivered on the 30th day of November, 2022, and a fresh election having been duly and lawfully conducted on the 22nd day of February, 2025, pursuant to the subsisting Order of the Osun State High Court in Suit No: HIL/M.19/2025 which led to the conduct of elections and the emergence of the Claimants as Chairmen and Councilors of the Local Government in Osun State, cannot impede, interfere, and/or obstruct, in any way whatsoever, the Claimants in their assumption of office.

“A DECLARATION that the 9th – 12th Defendants being persons and authorities bound to give effect to every decision of this Honourable Court and of all superior courts of record in Nigeria by virtue of Section 287 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), have the constitutional duty to ensure that all persons and authorities, including the 1st – 8th defendants, their allies, privies, agents, or any person acting through them or in their stead, or with their support, do not interfere, disturb or cause obstruction to the assumption of office by the Claimants into their respective offices as Chairmen and Councilors of the Local Government Councils in Osun State; more particularly having regard to the said Judgment of the Federal High Court of Nigeria delivered on 30th November, 2022 in Suit No: FHC/OS/CS/103/2022

“A DECLARATION that in view of the election of the 22nd day of February, 2025, conducted pursuant to the provisions of sections 28, 29, 30 and 150 of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the decision of the Osun State High Court in Suit No: HIL/M.19/2025, PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY V. OSUN STATE INDEPENDENT ELECTORAL COMMISSION and the Federal High Court in FHC/OS/CS/103/2022, ACTION PEOPLES PARTY V. INEC & 6 ORS and the dismissal of the Appeal against the said Judgment in Appeal No: CA/AK/226M/24, ALLIED PEOPLES MOVEMENT & ORS V. ACTION PEOPLES PARTY & ORS on 13th January, 2025, and subsequent swearing in of the Claimants on the 23rd of February, 2025, the Claimants are the legal occupants of the 30 Local Government Councils in Osun State as Chairmen and Councilors.

“A DECLARATION that it amounts to a derogation of the right to freedom of movement of the Claimants for the 9th – 12th Defendants to forcefully prevent and obstruct them vi et armis, from accessing and occupying offices they were voted into as Chairmen and Councilors of the 30 Local Government Councils in Osun State in the election that took place on the 22nd of February, 2025.

“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the 1st – 8th Defendants from assuming and/or taking any step(s) whatsoever towards assuming office as Chairmen and/or Councilors of the Local Government Councils in Osun State from which position they were sacked by a valid and subsisting order of the Federal High Court in Suit No: FHC/OS/CS/103/2022.

“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the 1st – 8th Defendants from parading or further parading themselves as Chairmen and Councilors of the 30 Local Government Councils in Osun State.

“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the 9th – 12th Defendants, whether by themselves or through their officers and men, servants, agents, allies, privies, or howsoever, from assisting, aiding or taking any step(s) whatsoever in assisting, aiding or helping the 1st – 8th Defendants to assume office as Chairmen and/or Councilors of the Local Government Councils in Osun State.

“AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT directing the 9th – 12th Defendants, whether by themselves or through their officers and men, servants, agents, allies, privies, or howsoever to ensure that the Claimants assume their respective offices at their various Local Government Headquarters in Osun State as Chairmen and Councilors of the 30 Local Government Councils in Osun State without any interference, let or hindrance from any quarters whatsoever, be it from the 1st – 8th Defendants or from their allies, privies, agents, or anybody acting through them or in their stead.

“WHAT NULGE SEEKS FROM THE COURT- A DECLARATION OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT that the 1st – 9th Defendants, having been removed from office as Chairmen and Councilors of theLocal Government Councils in Osun State by a subsisting Judgment of the FederalHigh Court delivered on the 30th day of November, 2022 cannot in any way whatsoever, impose themselves as Chairmen and Councilors of the 30 LocalGovernment Councils and interfere with the running and operations of all the said 30Local Government Councils of Osun State unless and until the said Judgment is set aside by a higher court.

“A DECLARATION OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT that the 10th and 11th Defendants being persons and authorities bound to give effect to every decision of thisHonourable Court and of all superior courts of record in Nigeria by virtue of Section287 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), and whose duty is to ensure the sustenance of peace in Osun State, have the Constitutional Duty to ensure that all persons and authorities, including the 1st – 9th Defendants, their allies privies, agents, or anybody acting through them or in their stead, do not interfere or cause any interference with running and operations of all the 30 Local GovernmentCouncil of Osun State and/or to make attempt and/or to continue to present themselves as Chairmen and Councillors of all the Local Government in Osun State and/or any thesaid Local Government in Osun State of Nigeria except if the said Judgment of theFederal High Court in Suit No FHC/OS/CS/103/2022 delivered on 30th November,2022 is set aside by a higher Court.

“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the 1st – 9th Defendants from assuming and/or taking any step whatsoever towards assuming office as Chairmenand/or Councilors of the Local Government Councils in Osun State and interfering in any way whatsoever, with the running and operations of all the 30 Local Government council of Osun State.

“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the 1st – 9th Defendants from parading or further parading themselves as Chairmen and Councilors of the 30 Local Government Councils in Osun State.

“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the 10th and 11th Defendants, as well as their men and officers, from assisting, aiding or taking any step whatsoever in helping the 1st – 9th Defendants to assume office as Chairmen and/or Councilors of the Local Government Councils in Osun State and interfering with the running and operations of all the 30 Local Government Councils of Osun State.

“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the 10th and 11thDefendants, as well as their men and officers or any other person acting under or through them, from harassing, threatening arrest and/or arresting members of theClaimant’s union, in a bid to assisting and aiding the 2nd – 9th Defendants to assume office as Chairman and/or Councilors of the Local Government Councils in Osun State And interfering with the running and operations of all the 30 Local Government councils of Osun State.

“We called on the state APC to face its legal battle and leave the state governor out of its self-imposed and self-inflicted moral, legal and political injuries.”