The All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party clashed on Tuesday over who legally controls local government council secretariats in Osun State, following fresh claims by civil society groups that APC chairmen are occupying the offices without lawful backing.
The disagreement began after the Network of Civil Society Groups accused APC council chairmen of remaining in office after their tenure allegedly ended on October 26, 2025. The group also claimed that the Osun State Police Command was providing security support to the chairmen, allowing them to remain in the secretariats.
Speaking to journalists in Osogbo, the network’s convener, Stephen Olanrewaju, traced the crisis to unresolved legal battles over local government administration in the state. He recalled that a Federal High Court judgment in 2022 nullified local government elections conducted by the APC-led government and removed all chairmen and councillors elected in that exercise. According to him, the Court of Appeal later upheld the ruling in June 2025.
Olanrewaju stated that despite the judgments, the removed officials allegedly returned to the council offices, claiming they were reinstated by the court. He insisted that no such reinstatement order existed and described their presence in the secretariats as unlawful. The group demanded that police officers be withdrawn from the premises and urged security agencies not to support actions they viewed as illegal.
The Osun State chapter of the PDP supported the civil society group’s position. The party’s Director of Media, Oladele Bamiji, said the APC chairmen no longer had a valid tenure and should vacate the offices immediately. He called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene, warning that continued police involvement could weaken democratic practices and create instability.
Responding, the Osun APC rejected the allegations. The party’s spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, said the claims were misleading and showed a poor understanding of the legal situation. He maintained that the APC chairmen were reinstated by a Court of Appeal judgment delivered on February 10, 2025, which he said was not challenged.
Olabisi added that the matter is still before the Federal High Court in Osogbo, where issues relating to the chairmen’s tenure and the conduct of fresh local government elections are being considered. He insisted that the APC officials remain in office lawfully pending the outcome of the case.
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