By Deborah Nnamdi
An Osun State High Court sitting in Osogbo has ordered the State Independent Electoral Commission, OSIEC, to conduct the local government election scheduled for Saturday, February 22, 2025.
In an enrollment order brought before Justice A. Aderigbigbe on Friday by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP against OSIEC and Its Chairman, Hashim Abioye, the court stated that there is vacancy in the 30 local government areas of the state as held by the judgment of the Federal High Court.
The court found that the election conducted by the first defendant on 15th October 2022, had been invalidated, nullified, and voided, and the purported elected officials produced by the purported election had been sacked by the Federal High Court in FHC/CS/OS/103/2022; ACTION PEOPLES PARTY (APP) VS. INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC) & Ors, delivered on the 30th November 2022 and as confirmed by the decision of the Court of Appeal in Appeal No: CA/AK/226M/2024; ALLIED PEOPLE MOVEMENT (APM) & Ors VS. ACTION PEOPLES PARTY (APP) & ORS delivered on January 13, 2025, that vacancy exists in the political administration of local councils in the State, thereby, consequently upholding the prayers of the PDP in the suit.
The court further directed and compelled all the security agencies, comprising the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Army, the Department of State Security Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Amotekun Corps, the Vigilante group etc in the state to provide adequate security during and after the election.
