The Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), Hashim Abioye, has declared that only the chairmen and councillors elected during the February 22, 2025 local government elections have the legal authority to manage the affairs of local councils in the state.
Abioye made this statement amid an ongoing political standoff over who holds legitimate control of the 31 local government areas.
The dispute between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has crippled local governance, with council workers withdrawing their services in protest.
The controversy stems from a Court of Appeal judgment delivered in Akure.
The APC claimed the ruling reinstated its members, who were elected during the October 15, 2022 local government elections under former Governor Gboyega Oyetola.
However, the PDP and the Osun State Government maintain that the appellate court did not grant such a reinstatement.
In response, OSSIEC went ahead with fresh elections on February 22, 2025, producing a new set of elected council officials.
Tensions escalated on May 17, when APC members, asserting their court-backed reinstatement, attempted to resume duties at council offices.
Clashes broke out with PDP supporters, leading to the deaths of six people, including the reinstated chairman of Irewole Local Government, Remi Abbas.
Despite the violence, APC members took control of several council offices the following week.
However, civil servants have refused to return to work, deepening the administrative crisis.
Defending OSSIEC’s conduct, Abioye stressed that the 2025 elections were held in accordance with legal and constitutional requirements and that no court order had barred the process.
“The officials elected on February 22, 2025, are the only legally recognised local government leaders in Osun. No one else has the constitutional right to manage the councils,” he asserted.
He contrasted the 2025 elections with those held in 2022, which were nullified by two Federal High Court rulings.
“The 2022 YES/NO election was invalidated by binding court decisions, which created legitimate vacancies. OSSIEC filled those vacancies through due process.
Those returned and sworn in after the February polls are the only valid officeholders,” he explained.
Abioye warned that any dealings with individuals other than the 2025-elected officials would be unlawful and could attract legal consequences.