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Urges Public to Ignore PDP Claims
Safiu Kehinde
The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reiterated that the February 10 Appeal Court’s ruling which reinstated its sacked local government chairmen and councillors remains valid.
It charged members of the public to ignore the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) claim as regards the ruling delivered on Friday by the Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State.
NPO Reported that the appellate court had yesterday struck out the APC’s request to relist its appeal against the Federal High Court’s judgement that nullified the controversial September 2022 LG election in Osun State.
In contrast to APC’s claim of the court reinstating the sacked chairman at the February 10, 2025 ruling, the Appeal Court denied reinstating the chairmen as it slammed the APC for misrepresenting its judgement.
It further warned the party against distorting the
In reaction to latest ruling, the Osun PDP in a statement issued by its Chairman, Sunday Bisi, described the judgment as a triumph of truth and justice over wishful thinking and irritating grandstanding.
The PDP further described the Appeal Court’s pronouncement as a confirmation of its longstanding position that the APC was merely grandstanding without legal basis.
Also reacting to the development in a statement issued on Friday by its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the Osun APC held that there is nothing in the latest decision of the Court of Appeal that affects its ruling delivered on 10th February, 2025 which effectively reinstated the APC Chairmen and Councilors elected on the 15th day of October, 2022.
Olabisi reiterated that the decision of 10th February, 2025 of the Court of Appeal remains binding and valid and it, stressing that it is only the Supreme Court that can pronounce or upturn on it.
He explained that yesterday’s ruling was in respect of a motion to relist the abandoned Appeal dismissed on 13th January 2025.
This, according to Olabisi, is different from the one that reinstated the APC Chairmen and Councilors.
“It is necessary to inform the general members of the public that contrary to the false and misleading information being peddled around by the PDP government and members led by another PDP card-carrying member, Hashim Abioye, there is nothing in the decision of the Court of Appeal of today that affects the decision of the Court of Appeal delivered on 10th February, 2025 which effectively reinstated the APC Chairmen and Councilors elected on the 15th day of October, 2022.
“This decision of 10th February, 2025 of the Court of Appeal remains binding and valid and it is only the Supreme Court that can pronounce or upturn on it but in this instance, there is no any appeal against it.
“The ruling that was delivered today, 13th June 2025, is in respect of a motion to relist the abandoned Appeal dismissed on 13th January 2025 for want of prosecution in Appeal No. CA/AK/226M/2022 which is different from the one that reinstated the APC Chairmen and Councilors.
“The Court of Appeal made it clear today that it was not in a position to sit on appeal on the decision of the same Court of 10th February, 2025 in Appeal No. CA/AK/270/2022 which reinstated the APC Chairmen and Councilors as that appeal was not before the Court.
“The factual situation is that the decision of the Court of Appeal delivered on 10th February 2025 remains valid, standing, binding, and superior to the Federal High Court’s decision delivered on 30th November 2022.” Olabisi wrote.
The Osun APC spokesperson accused the PDP and Osun State Independent Electoral Commission’s (OSSIEC) Chairman, Hashim Abioye, of misinterpreting the court’s ruling, stressing that there is no vacancy at any of the LG secretariats across the state.
“The PDP, also in their usual manner of peddling lies, stated that Muhideen Adeoye Esq was lambasted but this is untrue. The Court of Appeal only stated that fact of not having communication with his clients is not convincing enough.
“There is no vacancy in the Local Government Councils in Osun State as the Court of Appeal ruling of today did not pretend to be making any such decision contrary to the puerile and misleading celebrations embarked upon by the shameful and lawless PDP and its members led by Hashim Abioye and Kolapo Alimi.
“The statement issued by Mr. Hashim Abioye and Kolapo Alimi today is a complete effort to mislead the good people of Osun State and law enforcement agents so that their misguided electoral fraud of February 20, 2025 could be used to steal back the Local Government offices in Osun State.
In addition, the Court of Appeal never made any order in its ruling delivered today, 13th June, 2025 other than dismissal of the motion for relisting of the abandoned Appeal in Appeal No. CA/AK/226M/2022.
“Moreso, what was in issue before the Court of Appeal was never whether the lower court judgment in the APP case was valid or not and the Court of Appeal did not make any we pronouncement on that.
“In view of the foregoing, the members of the public are advised to ignore the manipulated facts being spread by Hashim Abioye, Kolapo Alimi and their political party.” He said.
The APC charged security operatives to hold Abioye and Alimi responsible for any outbreak of violence in the state while hinting the possibility of challenge the latest Appeal Court ruling at the Supreme Court.
“The security agencies in Osun State are also advised to call Hashim Abioye and Kolapo Alimi to order so that unnecessary violence would not be ignited by their recklessness.
“In case anything happens to any of the reinstated elected officers, Hashim Abioye and Kolapo Alimi will be held responsible for inciting the public against people who lawfully resumed work in the councils based on the Court of Appeal judgment of February 10, 2025.
“Further to the above, the APC may appeal the ruling of today to the Supreme Court if there is any need for that unlike the Court of Appeal judgment of February 10, 2025 which PDP and its members have no gut or courage to challenge but have been making efforts to subvert.” Olabisi added.