By Ayodele Oni
After forcefully taking over control of Local Councils, the Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress(APC) has announced its withdrawal from the local government elections scheduled for Saturday.
The decision was communicated in a letter signed by the Osun APC Secretary, Alao Kamoru, and addressed to the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission(OSSIEC).
The APC in the letter, cited the recent Appeal Court judgment in Akure as the basis for its withdrawal, stating that the ruling had rendered the planned election unnecessary and unlawful.
The letter referenced Appeal No. CA/AK/270/2022, which reinstated previously elected local government officials.
The letter reads: ”Recall that the judgment of the Federal High Court in Suit No. FHC/OS/CS/94/2022 was meritoriously nullified on 10th February 2025 by the Appeal Court in Akure in Appeal No. CA/AK/270/2022 Between All Progressives Congress & 3 Ors v. Peoples Democratic Party & Ors.
“By this judgment, the elected officers have resumed office as allowed by the Appeal Court ruling.
“The implication of the Appeal Court judgment, as cited above, is that the local council seats are no longer vacant.
“In view of the foregoing, we hereby state that the All Progressives Congress and all its candidates, by this letter, inform the Commission that we withdraw from the Local Government Elections scheduled for 22nd February 2025, the same having become unnecessary, superfluous, and unlawful with this development.”
The party had been actively campaigning for its candidates across 30 local government areas of the state before its sudden decision to pull out of the election.
The state electoral body has vowed to go ahead with the election, despite the Court of Appeal Judgement.
The Court of Appeal had struck out the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to challenge the conduct of Osun State local government election in 2022.
The Appellate Court ruled that the suit was speculative and filed before the Notice of election was issued by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC).
The Federal High Court had delivered its judgment in the suit on the 25th November, 2022, nullifying the election and sacking the purported elected officials.
Reacting to the judgement, Hashim Akintunde Abioye, Chairman, Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, told journalists in Osogbo that the council poll will still hold despite the Court of Appeal order.
“To this effect, there is no order returning any purported elected officials of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to office as there is no Order of any Court reinstating them to office.
“In particular, there is no Order of any Court stopping the conduct of the election already scheduled by the Commission to hold on 22nd February, 2025.
“In specific terms, the thirty (30) Local Government Areas in Osun State remain vacant till date as there is a substituting decision of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal against the All Progressive Congress (APC) and its purported candidates.
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