— 2025 Council Executives Now Fully Vindicated
FLOWERBUDNEWS: The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure has upheld the sack of the APC’s factional “Yes/No” chairmen and nullified the controversial 2022 local government elections held under the previous administration.
The rulings have been officially confirmed by key government officials including Kolapo Alimi, the Osun State Commissioner for Information, and Malam Olawale Rasheed, the Senior Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, who described the judgment as a vindication of the state’s legal and democratic position.
Malam Rasheed, in a widely shared broadcast message, stated:
“Appeal Court Sustains Sack of APC Yes/No Chairmen. Let’s share this as widely as possible.”
The Court’s decision brings final closure to the leadership crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun, where rival factions have engaged in legal warfare over the legitimacy of parallel congresses conducted in 2021. The appellate court dismissed the APC’s appeal and upheld the ruling that voided the 2022 LG elections, affirming that there were indeed vacancies in the local government offices as of February 2025.
In a formal broadcast issued today, Hashim Abioye, Esq., Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), stated:
“The Court of Appeal… reaffirmed that the local government election conducted by this Commission in 2022 under the immediate past administration was null and void. The acclaimed beneficiaries… benefitted nothing.”
Abioye revealed how the AGF, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, and Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, had wrongly interpreted an earlier court ruling and attempted to sabotage the February 22, 2025 elections by sealing the OSSIEC office, issuing threats, and facilitating arrests of Commission staff.
“The AGF and the IGP ignored a subsisting decision of the Court of Appeal and a valid Osun High Court judgment which confirmed that vacancies existed,” Abioye said. “Their actions were a gross derision of the rule of law.”
Despite those challenges, OSSIEC proceeded with the election, issuing Certificates of Return to winners who were subsequently sworn in. Today’s judgment, according to Abioye, “validates the process and outcome” of that election.
He warned the public and government institutions:
“Only the winners of the 2025 local government elections who have been duly sworn in are the legitimate officials. Dealing with any other persons is an aberration and a big risk. This is a caveat emptor.”
Calling for public apologies from the AGF and IGP, Abioye emphasized the need for advice and directives to be grounded in law and good conscience.
The dual ruling from the Court of Appeal marks a critical turning point in Osun’s local governance structure, clearing the air of legal ambiguity and setting a new tone for electoral integrity and institutional resilience in the state.

