The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has asked Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke to stop the local government election planned for Saturday.
In a statement seen on Thursday by News About Nigeria, Fagbemi said the election would violate the Constitution since the tenure of the sacked local government chairmen is still valid based on a recent Court of Appeal ruling in Akure.
Osun State has been facing political crisis between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) over control of 18 local government councils.
The conflict worsened on Monday, leading to the death of six people, including an APC chieftain.
Fagbemi advised Governor Adeleke to follow legal procedures and avoid actions that could cause further unrest.
He explained that during the tenure of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, local government elections were held, and officials were sworn in.
However, a few days before Adeleke took office, a Federal High Court in Osogbo nullified the election.
After assuming office, Adeleke issued an executive order removing the elected officials and appointing caretaker committees.
The APC challenged this decision in court, and the Court of Appeal ruled in their favor on February 10, effectively restoring the removed officials.
Fagbemi stated that the crisis in Osun began when the reinstated officials tried to return to their positions but faced resistance.
He urged Adeleke to uphold the law and ensure a peaceful resolution.
He warned that holding a new election would be invalid since the current officials’ tenure runs until October 2025.
Meanwhile, a civil society group, Osun Democrats for Democracy (ODD), disagreed with Fagbemi, saying he has no authority to stop the election.
ODD’s legal adviser, Adewale Fowora, accused the AGF of being biased due to his past legal representation of former Governor Oyetola.
The group insisted that Adeleke should proceed with the election.
