The ongoing local government leadership crisis in Osun State took a new turn on Friday as chairmen and councillors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 22, 2025 local government election resumed duties at some council secretariats.

The resumption followed a recent judgment of the Federal High Court, which declared that the tenure of the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen currently occupying the councils had ended.

Deputy spokesperson to the Osun State Governor, Oladele Bamiji, said the PDP chairmen returned to their respective councils based on the court ruling.

The Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, the state capital, had on Monday dismissed a suit filed by APC chairmen elected during the October 15, 2022 local government election, in which they sought clarification on when their tenure would officially end.

Following the judgment, Bamiji said PDP chairmen resumed in local government areas including Ede North, Ede South, Iwo, Boripe, Ila, and others.

However, tension was reported at the Olorunda Local Government secretariat in Igbona, Osogbo, where police operatives and PDP officials engaged in a confrontation after the officials attempted to gain access to the premises.

The situation led to a shouting match between the two sides, after which the gate of the council secretariat was locked against the PDP officials.

Police personnel, alongside other security agencies deployed to the area, later held discussions with the PDP officials before they eventually left the premises.

Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Osun State, one of the APC chairmen, Adegoke Ogunsola, accused the PDP officials of attempting to forcefully take over council secretariats.

Ogunsola said the APC chairmen had already filed an application for a stay of execution of the judgment and that the necessary parties had been served.

Reacting to the development, Bamiji insisted that the PDP chairmen remained the legally recognised local government administrators in the state.

He argued that the chairmen were elected representatives who had the responsibility to resume office and serve the people who voted for them, following the Federal High Court judgment.

According to him, the PDP chairmen would be violating the law if they failed to resume their duties as directed by the court.

Bamiji also stated that the resumption did not face significant resistance, adding that the APC had no strong legal basis to oppose the move.

“Our people, the PDP elected chairmen, will resume fully next Monday by the grace of God, and they will all be there to perform their duty for which they were elected,” he said.

However, Ogunsola maintained that the PDP chairmen and councillors were not parties to the suit decided by the Federal High Court and therefore could not benefit from the judgment.

He argued that there was no specific court order directing the PDP officials to take over the councils, adding that the matter had already been taken before the Court of Appeal.

Ogunsola further warned that enforcing the judgment before the appeal process was concluded could lead to a breakdown of law and order.

He urged members of the public to disregard what he described as misinformation from the state government, insisting that the APC chairmen were relying on legal processes to resolve the dispute.

He added that the issues surrounding the February 2025 local government election and the validity of the swearing-in of the PDP chairmen remained subjects before the appellate court, urging all parties to await the outcome of the legal process.