December 05, (THEWILL) — The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has welcomed Friday’s split decision of the Supreme Court on the dispute over withheld local government allocations in the state, describing the verdict as a triumph for constitutional order and an indictment of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.
In a statement signed by its State Chairman, Sunday Bisi, the party said the apex court’s ruling “lifted the veil over the unconstitutional and erroneous directives” allegedly issued by the AGF to the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Finance, instructing them to release local government funds to “illegal entities” in Osun.
According to the PDP, the judgment vindicates its long-held position that the crisis over local government administration was “a needless confrontation orchestrated by the Attorney-General,” whom it accused of attempting to override both the Constitution and existing court orders.
The party recalled that despite multiple judicial pronouncements — including a Court of Appeal decision in Akure affirming the validity of the February 22, 2025 local government election — the AGF allegedly continued to authorise payments to individuals “who had no legal mandate, simply because they were members of the APC.”
“By inference from the Supreme Court’s decision today, those bank accounts domiciled in UBA are inoperable and criminal, as the process leading to their opening has now been effectively declared illegal,” Bisi said.
The PDP added that the ruling had exposed what it called the “illegalities and partisan arrogance” underpinning the AGF’s interventions, noting that the decision had restored clarity and constitutional alignment to the issue of local government administration in Osun State.
Bisi urged all parties to respect the judgment and resist alleged attempts by “desperate APC elements bent on derailing democracy through an unbridled hunger for power.”
He commended the Awotunde-led Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Osun for maintaining restraint “in the face of provocations,” and thanked residents for their support throughout what the party described as “a dark period imposed by rejected APC forces.”
Reaffirming its position, the PDP insisted that “the only legally recognised local government chairmen in Osun State are those elected on February 22, 2025 under the supervision of OSIEC,” a stance already affirmed by the Court of Appeal.
The party also urged security agencies to remain neutral and avoid providing cover for individuals “already removed by court orders,” warning that such actions could amount to “a direct invitation to anarchy.”
The Osun PDP assured citizens that it would continue to work with the state government and democratically elected council chairmen to safeguard grassroots development funds from “political opportunists.”
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