Osun Court directs OSIEC, security agencies to conduct LG polls

An Osun State High Court in Osogbo has directed the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) and security agencies to proceed with the local government elections scheduled for Saturday.

The ruling was delivered on Friday by Justice A. Aderigbigbe in response to an enrollment order brought before the court by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against OSIEC and its Chairman, Hashim Abioye.

The court reaffirmed that there are vacancies in all 30 local government areas of the state, as previously determined by a Federal High Court ruling.

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.