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Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has adjourned till November 27, 2025, ruling on a series of applications challenging the court’s jurisdiction and seeking joinder by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the ongoing legal dispute over the management of funds accrued to Osun State local governments from the Federation Account.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, the court also extended its interim order freezing 30 accounts domiciled in United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, where the contentious funds are being held, pending the next adjourned date.
In a related ruling, Justice Akintola dismissed the application by UBA Plc, whose lead counsel, Ojo Adebayo (SAN), had sought an indefinite (sine die) adjournment of the case pending the determination of a similar matter before the Supreme Court.
Lead counsel to the claimants, Musibau Adetunmbi (SAN), had strongly opposed the joinder applications filed by both the APC and PDP, insisting that neither party had a legitimate basis to be part of the proceedings.
“As far as this case is concerned, the APC is a stranger and, as a result, it cannot file this motion,” Adetunmbi argued, urging the court to dismiss both the APC’s motion challenging jurisdiction and the joinder applications filed by the two political parties.
He maintained that the court possessed the requisite jurisdiction to hear the matter, contrary to the submissions of Kazeem Gbadamosi (SAN), counsel to the APC, who had questioned the territorial jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.
Gbadamosi had also challenged the locus standi of the claimants, contending that under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), only local government authorities have the statutory power to administer funds allocated to them. His argument, however, was countered by counsel to the Attorney General of Osun State, who cited relevant constitutional provisions and legal precedents supporting the competence of the suit.
After hearing extensive arguments from all parties, Justice Akintola adjourned the matter to November 27, 2025, for ruling on the pending applications.
Meanwhile, in a separate but related suit filed by the PDP against UBA Plc, the trial judge referred the case to the Chief Judge of Oyo State for reassignment to another court, signaling the continuation of the complex legal tussle surrounding Osun’s local government funds.
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