An Osun State High Court sitting in Ilesa, on Friday granted the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) order to go ahead with the Local Government Election in the state scheduled for tomorrow Saturday, 22 February 2025.
Giving the order on a suit brought before the court by the Peoples Democratic Party, Justice Adeyinka Aderibigbe declared that there is existing vacancies across the 30 local government area of state.
While Presenting the outcome of the Court order to Newsmen in Osogbo, the Osun State Attorney – General and Commissioner for Justice , Mr. Oluwole Jimi – Bada, said the order came at a time the OSSIEC has concluded arrangements for the local government election, slated for Saturday 22nd February 2025.
According to the court order read by Bada, ” the order granted, 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 election already scheduled by the defendants for 22nd of February, 2025.
“The court found as a fact, that the election conducted by the 1st Defendant on 15th October, 2022, having been invalidated, nullified and voided, and the purported elected officials produced by the purported election having been sacked by the Federal High Court in FHC/CS/OS/103/2022; ACTION PEOPLES PARTY (APP) VS. INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC) & Ors, delivered on the 30th November, 2022 and as confirmed by the decision of the Court of Appeal in Appeal No: CA/AK/226M/2024; ALLIED PEOPLE MOVEMENT (APM) & Ors VS. ACTION PEOLES PARTY (APP) & ORS delivered on the 13th January, 2025, vacancy actually exists in the political administration of local councils in the State, thereby, consequently upholding the prayers of the PDP in the suit.
“The court further directed and compelled all the security agencies, comprising of the Nigeria Police, 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, the Vigilante group etc in the state to provide adequate security, during and after the election.”
He enjoined the people of Osun State to go out tomorrow to cast their vote for political party of their choice.
He said, “The governor of Osun state is law abiding and cannot go against the judgement, Moreso, OSSIEC is an independent body no state government has control over the body just like the Federal government cannot control INEC.”
