Respected constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof. Mike Ozekhome, has written to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), calling on him to respect a series of court judgments affirming the legality of the local government elections in Osun State.
In an 18-page letter dated June 23, 2025, Ozekhome, acting as the solicitor to the 30 elected local government chairmen and councilors in Osun State—all members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)—urged the AGF to urgently carry out the judgments that validated their February 22 election and subsequent swearing-in.
“The Courts Have Spoken—Respect the Law”
Ozekhome didn’t mince words in the strongly worded letter. He reminded the AGF that the elections were lawfully conducted and affirmed by the Osun State High Court on February 21, 2025, with the PDP chairmen and councilors sworn in the next day.
But rather than uphold the rule of law, Ozekhome said, “some sacked APC officials have been illegally occupying these council offices, hiding under the cover of ‘federal might’ and the AGF’s earlier misguided directive to the Finance Minister.”
A Brewing Constitutional Crisis
According to the letter, these former APC officials—whose elections had already been invalidated by the Federal High Court in Osogbo—continue to hold on to power, backed by security agencies including the Police, Army, DSS, and Civil Defence.
Ozekhome described this as “brazen impunity” and condemned the AGF’s March 26 letter that mistakenly backed the APC’s claim to the offices, despite multiple court rulings in favour of the PDP. He called the directive “an affront” to the judiciary and justice.
A copy of the controversial letter, in which the AGF claimed that APC officials were to remain in office until October 2025 and should receive statutory allocations, was attached to Ozekhome’s petition as evidence.
“APC Not in Control, PDP is”—Ozekhome Fires Back
Taking a firm stand, Ozekhome countered the AGF’s claims: “It is not correct that APC officials are running Osun LGs. It is the PDP.” He cited several Supreme Court decisions—including the landmark Ojukwu v Lagos State case—that clearly frown on the use of self-help when disputes are still subject to judicial interpretation.
Court of Appeal Clears the Air
Perhaps the most significant legal backing came from the recent judgment of the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, in Appeal No: CA/AK/15/2025, delivered on June 13, 2025. The court, in that ruling, decisively established the rightful legal standing of the PDP officials—putting to rest any lingering doubts about the legitimacy of their positions.
Osun LG System in Crisis
Despite all these court victories, peace remains elusive in Osun’s local government councils. Governor Ademola Adeleke had dissolved the previous APC-led councils and held new elections that brought in the PDP chairmen. However, since their swearing-in on February 23, 2025, legal battles and political wrangling have overshadowed governance at the grassroots.
With multiple judgments in favour of the PDP being flouted, Prof. Ozekhome’s letter now puts the ball squarely in the court of the AGF—will he choose justice or politics?
