The Supreme Court on Friday struck out a case filed by the Osun State Attorney General, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, who had asked the Federal Government to release withheld allocations meant for local government areas in the state. The judgement, delivered by a seven-member panel with six justices in support and one opposed, held that the case was not properly filed and could not stand.
The ruling quickly stirred strong reactions across Osun. Members of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, made up of elected council chairmen from the All Progressives Congress, welcomed the decision. In a statement issued by their chairman, Abiodun Idowu, the group said the ruling confirmed their long-held position in the long-running dispute over who should control local councils in the state. They said the judgement gives them room to continue running their councils and to push forward with projects they believe will help their communities.
They also said the ruling ends months of legal battles that created uncertainty in the local government system. According to them, the outcome strengthens their belief in the court system and encourages them to keep working on development plans aimed at improving daily life in different towns and villages.
However, the Osun Peoples Democratic Party shared a different view. In a statement by its chairman, Sunday Bisi, the party said the judgement exposed earlier steps taken by the Attorney General when he asked the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Finance to send local government funds to bodies not recognised under existing laws. The party said the court’s ruling now removes the confusion created by those directives.
The PDP maintained that the state government has been working to restore order in the local government structure and insisted that it will continue to focus on development efforts across the councils. The party added that the court’s decision has given it more room to correct issues that, in its view, affected the flow of funds and stalled growth at the grassroots under the present arrangement.
The clash between ALGON and the PDP shows that the dispute over who controls local administration in Osun is far from over. Both sides claim the ruling supports their position, setting the stage for more political battles as the state works out how local governments will operate moving forward.