Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), Hashim Abioye, has declared that only chairmen and councillors elected in the February 22, 2025 local government elections are legally empowered to administer the councils across the state.
Abioye made this clarification in response to the ongoing tussle over control of the 31 local governments, which has led to a disruption of governance as workers have withdrawn their services amidst tensions between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The dispute stems from a recent Court of Appeal ruling in Akure, which the APC interprets as reinstating the local government officials elected under the previous administration of Gboyega Oyetola in October 2022.
However, the state government and PDP insist the appellate court did not issue any directive reinstating the sacked officials.
Despite the controversy, OSSIEC went ahead to organise fresh council polls on February 22, 2025, which produced a new set of officials.
Tensions escalated on May 17 when APC members attempted to reclaim their positions at council secretariats, resulting in violent clashes that left six people dead, including the reinstated chairman of Irewole Local Government, Remi Abbas.
Although APC members eventually occupied council offices, civil servants have since refused to resume duties, citing safety concerns.
Speaking on the crisis, Abioye maintained that the 2025 elections were conducted in strict compliance with constitutional and legal frameworks, unlike the 2022 elections, which were nullified by two separate Federal High Court judgments.
He stressed that, “Those elected in the February 22, 2025 elections are the only individuals legally recognised to manage the affairs of local governments in Osun. There is no existing court order invalidating the process that brought them into office.”
According to Abioye, the 2022 polls, conducted using a YES/NO format, had been declared invalid, leaving the offices vacant and paving the way for OSSIEC to conduct fresh elections.
“The people we declared and returned after the February polls were duly sworn in and remain the legitimate officeholders,” he said.
He cautioned that any collaboration with individuals other than the duly elected 2025 officials would have no legal standing and would be at the risk of those involved.
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