- Safiu Kehinde
A Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo state, has reinstated the Osun state local government chairmen and councillors dismissed by Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The court’s had, in the ruling delivered on Tuesday, ordered that the council officials who are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), should immediately resume their positions.
This overturned Adeleke’s directive that saw the officials removed from office.
However, the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), in reaction, filed an appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision and requested a stay of execution until the appeal is heard.
According to report, the controversy began in November 2022, when Governor Adeleke dismissed the local government officials after a High Court ruling had previously invalidated their election.
The High Court had declared the election, which was organized by OSSIEC, to be null and void.
This was after the Osun State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties challenged the election, arguing that only APC candidates were allowed to run for the vacant positions, and voters were only given a “YES or NO” option.