The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has known as on the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, to research the circumstances surrounding the switch of a case on the non-release of native authorities allocations from the Osogbo division to Abuja.
Local authorities allocations as a result of Osun councils have been withheld since February amid a tussle between the PDP-led state authorities and the All Progressives Congress over management of the councils.
The APC had argued that chairmen and councillors elected in the course of the October 15, 2022 polls carried out underneath former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola remained in workplace, citing a February 10, 2025 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Akure.
But the PDP insisted the appellate ruling didn’t reinstate them, stressing that these elected in the course of the February 22, 2025 native authorities polls are the official officeholders.
To resolve the stalemate, Osun’s Attorney General, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, filed a swimsuit marked FHC/OS/CS/94/2025 on the Federal High Court, Osogbo, towards the Attorney General of the Federation, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and others, searching for launch of the seized allocations.
However, controversy erupted after two letters purportedly from the workplace of the Chief Judge indicated that the case had been moved to Abuja for listening to in the course of the trip interval.
One of the letters, dated August 21, 2025, and signed by Joshua Ibrahim Aji, recognized as Special Assistant to the Chief Judge, said that the switch was mandatory because the defendants have been primarily based in Abuja.
A second letter dated September 2, 2025—signed by an unnamed individual “for” the Special Assistant—additionally presupposed to reassign the case.
At a press convention in Osogbo on Thursday, Osun PDP Chairman, Sunday Bisi, described the event as “a gross aberration,” questioning the legality of aides exercising judicial powers.
“Judicial functions cannot be delegated to a Special Assistant who is not a judicial officer,” Bisi stated. “Even worse, the September 2 letter was not signed by the Special Assistant himself, but by an unknown individual on his behalf. That letter purported to assign a case to a judge, something that can only be lawfully done by a judicial officer.”
He added, “Suspiciously, the September 2 letter was delivered to Osun’s counsel on September 11—more than a week after it was allegedly signed. We have every reason to believe it may have been backdated for political purposes. This suspicion is reinforced by the fact that when the case came up in Abuja on September 8, neither the court nor the parties referenced the letter.”
Bisi insisted that any utility to maneuver the case have to be made overtly earlier than the presiding decide in Osogbo.
“Anything else is illegality,” he declared. “We therefore call on the Honourable Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to immediately probe these irregularities and determine how persons purportedly working in his office came to sign letters carrying the force of judicial authority.”
Meanwhile, the tussle over the seized allocations has additionally moved to the Supreme Court.
On August 27, 2025, The PUNCH reported that the Osun State Government, by means of its Attorney General and a workforce led by Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), filed a contemporary swimsuit towards the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
In the originating summons, Osun is asking the apex court docket to compel the Federal Government to launch all withheld funds, describing the seizure as “unconstitutional and arbitrary.”
The state additionally desires a perpetual injunction restraining future seizures.
The authorities argued that the AGF ignored subsisting judgments of the Federal High Court, Osogbo (November 30, 2022) and the Court of Appeal (June 13, 2025), which affirmed the legitimacy of the February 2025 native authorities elections.
The AGF had, in a March 26, 2025 letter, suggested that the funds stay frozen pending decision of a “local government crisis”—a place the state stated was untenable after the appellate ruling.
In its prayers, the state raised 5 constitutional questions, together with whether or not the AGF is sure underneath Section 287 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to implement legitimate court docket judgments, and whether or not his directive to withhold funds might stand within the face of such rulings.
Osun additional filed an affidavit warning that continuing with the Abuja case whereas the Supreme Court is seized of the matter might result in conflicting judgments.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Olufemi Akande Ogundun, described the AGF’s actions as “an affront to the rule of law,” citing precedents resembling A.G. Kano State v. A.G. Federation (2007) and RMAFC v. A.G. Rivers State (2023).
The state additionally accused the AGF of “self-induced urgency,” noting that he delayed responding to the Osogbo swimsuit for over 80 days earlier than submitting an affidavit of urgency on August 13, 2025.
It argued that the Chief Judge’s switch order “casts the lot of the court with the AGF” and dangers making a notion of bias.
