The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said the Supreme Court’s verdict on the state’s withheld local government allocations, lifted the veil over the unconstitutional and erroneous directives issued by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi.
The party also described the judgment as a reaffirmation of judicial authority.
This was made known in a statement on Friday by the State Chairman, Sunday Bisi.
According to the party, the Attorney-General had previously instructed the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and the Federal Ministry of Finance to channel local government funds to illegal entities in the state.
The PDP stated that it had long warned that the crisis was a needless confrontation fuelled by directives compelling sacked chairmen produced through a flawed process to open bank accounts despite subsisting court rulings.
The party recalled that the Court of Appeal in Akure had earlier upheld the validity of the February 22, 2025 local government election conducted by OSSIEC in Osun State.
It added that despite this judicial clarity, the Attorney-General still authorised payments to individuals “who had no legal mandate, simply because they were members of the APC.”
The PDP said that, by inference from the Supreme Court’s ruling, the bank accounts opened in the United Bank for Africa, UBA, for the sacked chairmen were inoperable and criminal.
Bisi stated that the judgement had exposed “the illegalities and partisan arrogance that accompanied the Attorney-General’s previous actions while restoring constitutional order.”
He urged stakeholders to abide by the court’s decision and avoid “further manipulation by desperate APC elements who are bent on derailing democracy.”
The party also commended the patience of the Awotunde-led Association of local Governments Of Nigeria, ALGON in Osun State, describing the group as resilient in the face of provocation.
It expressed appreciation to the people of Osun State for their support throughout the challenging period for the state.
Bisi maintained that the only legally recognised council chairmen in Osun are those elected on February 22, 2025, whose mandate had been affirmed by the Court of Appeal.
He called on security agencies to avoid taking illegal sides and warned that offering protection to individuals removed by court orders is a direct invitation to anarchy.