The Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, on Monday, adjourned hearing in a suit filed by reinstated All Progressives Congress (APC) local government chairmen and councillors, seeking judicial clarification on the tenure of their offices.
The suit, marked FHC/OS/CS/147/2025, was filed by Onibonokuta Saheed and seven others against the Attorney-General of the Federation and six other defendants.
The claimants are asking the court to determine whether their three-year tenure should run from February 2025, when they were reinstated by the Court of Appeal.
They are also contesting the legality of the local government elections conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) on February 22, 2025, under Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration, arguing that their tenure was still subsisting at the time.
The issue of tenure for local government officials in Osun State has remained contentious since the appellate court reinstated the APC-elected chairmen and councillors on February 10.
At Monday’s proceedings, counsel to the claimants, Muhydeen Adeoye, filed a motion seeking an order restraining the defendants from interfering with his clients’ performance of official duties pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Adeoye told the court that despite a subsisting court judgment affirming their reinstatement, his clients were “being prevented from carrying out their constitutional responsibilities”.
However, counsels representing the 3rd and 4th defendants, F.K. Labo-Popoola, the 5th defendant, Rachael Ojomi, and the 6th defendant, J.A. Ayanyemi, maintained that they were still within the statutory time frame to file their responses to the originating summons and requested more time to complete their processes.
Presiding judge, Justice Adefunmilola Demi-Ajayi, observed that not all parties in the suit had been properly served with court documents.
She, therefore, directed that proper service be effected on every party to ensure a fair hearing in accordance with due process.
Justice Demi-Ajayi assured both sides of the court’s commitment to a speedy and just resolution of the dispute.
She subsequently adjourned the case to November 27 for hearing.
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