Court of Appeal Ruling on Osun LG Chairmen, Legal Expert Dispels Misconception
Renowned law lecturer, Dr. Misbua Alamu Lateef, PhD, has weighed in on the Court of Appeal’s ruling delivered today, June 13, 2025, regarding the ongoing legal battle over the leadership of local governments in Osun State.
In a post titled “On Today’s Court of Appeal Decision on Osun LG Chairmen: The Facts vs The Fiction,” Dr. Lateef sought to clarify widespread misconceptions about the judgment.
According to Dr. Lateef, contrary to narratives circulating in some quarters, the Court’s decision was strictly procedural. The Court, presided over by Justice Obiorah JCA, unanimously dismissed the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s application to relist an earlier appeal that had been struck out. The ruling, he emphasized, concerned only the relisting procedure and did not touch on the substantive issues relating to the reinstatement of the local government chairmen.
“This decision does not overturn or affect the Court of Appeal’s earlier judgment of February 10, 2025, which reinstated the Osun LG Chairmen,” Dr. Lateef said. “That judgment remains valid, binding, and unchallenged.”
He further noted that today’s ruling has no legal bearing on the February verdict, which restored the local government officials to office. “As a matter of law, the reinstated chairmen remain in office unless a higher court expressly overturns that February decision and no such ruling exists.”
Dr. Lateef warned against what he described as “deliberate misrepresentation” of today’s judgment, stressing that such actions either stem from ignorance or are meant to mislead the public. “The law is clear,” he said, “and the restoration of the LG Chairmen stands firm.”
