The Osun State High Court sitting in Ilesa, on Friday, ordered the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) to proceed with Saturday’s election to fill vacant positions of chairmen and councillors in the 30 local councils and area offices of Osun State.

This order of the court presided over by Justice A.A Aderibigbe followed a suit brought before the court by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of the political parties participating in the election.

Listed as defendants in the suit are the OSSIEC and its chairman, Hashim Abioye.
The order came at a time the OSSIEC had concluded arrangements for the exercise. The court held that “the election conducted by the 1st defendant on October 15, 2022, having been invalidated, nullified and voided, and the purported elected officials produced by the purported election having been sacked by the Federal High Court in FHC/CS/OS/103/2022; Action Peoples Party (APP) VS. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) & Others, delivered on November 30, 2022 and as confirmed by the decision of the Court of Appeal in Appeal No: CA/AK/226M/2024; Allied People Movement (APM) & Ors VS. Action Peoples Party (APP) & ORS delivered on January 13, 2025, vacancy actually exists in the political administration of local councils in the state, thereby, consequently upholding the prayers of the PDP in the suit.

“Consequently, the court granted the prayers of the claimant, seeking an order of the court ‘directing, mandating and compelling the defendants to fill the vacancies across the 30 local councils by proceeding to conduct the local council elections already scheduled by the defendants for February 22, 2025’.”

The court also directed and compelled all the security agencies, comprising the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Army, the Department of State Security Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Amotekun Corps, the Vigilante group, among others, in the state to provide adequate security, during and after the election.

Meanwhile, the state Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Friday, ordered restriction of vehicular movement across the state from 5:00 am to 5:00pm on Saturday as part of security measures to ensure a peaceful local council poll. This was contained in a press statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.

“The directive of the state governor was sequel to the statewide local government elections that are scheduled to be held tomorrow across the state.
“Governor Adeleke, who reiterated his commitment to peace and security, said the movement restriction is necessary to prevent importation of hoodlums into the state amidst local elections,” the statement noted.