The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the former Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship aspirant in Ogun State, Dr Reuben Abati, who is now a presenter of *Arise News’ The Morning Show* of needlessly engaging in professional terrorism against the Osun State chapter of the APC. This allegation was made by the party over the stance maintained by Dr. Abati on the lingering dispute over the payment of the local government councils’ federal allocations.
All the efforts by the compromised television figure to hide under his finger to portray himself as an unbiased presenter felt flat as the hatchet job he was suspiciously enlisted for grossly exposed him as a political actor with a vested interest on the issue at stake.
It is quite worrisome that the former deputy governorship aspirant under the PDP with a supposed knowledge of the law of the land could hide under a television tube to frivolously engage in flagrant abuse of privilege by constituting himself into a court of law where he could comment on a raging suit.
The efforts of Abati on the delayed payment of the Osun State local government councils’ federal allocations expressly revealed that the television presenter knows next to nothing about the subject matter which earned him the instant status of a meddlesome interloper.
The fulcrum of the schism over the tussle in the payment of the federal allocations to the Osun State local government councils is the Court of Appeal judgement of the 10th of February, 2025 which expressly reinstated the APC council chairmen and councillors with all the reliefs sought allowed by the Court.
Was it an oversight or lack of knowledge for ‘Justice’ Abati to have failed to reference the immortal Court of Appeal judgement of the 10th of February, 2025 which he was ridiculously countering with the subsequent mere obiter dicta cited by the subsequent Court of Appeal ruling of 13th June, 2025 which could not, in any way, impeach the earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal?
Why didn’t Abati query the refusal of Governor Ademola Adeleke to approach the Supreme Court to appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal that reinstated the APC local government council chairmen and councillors if they, indeed, have a sufficient ground to so do convincingly?
Is Abati sufficiently informed that the state chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees(NULGE) has been on a sympathy strike induced by Governor Adeleke for seven months running?
Does it not sound strange and ludicrous for a governor to be organising, promoting and financing a protest and strike against his own administration as it is being witnessed with utmost disdain in Osun State under the apparently wobbled, confused and directionless government of the day in the state?
Should the people of the state encompassing the young, the oldies, the chiefs, the Kabiyesis and all and sundry be made to continue suffering because the governor has formed an unholy alliance with the NULGE, directing them to stay away from the local government council secretariats across the state with a view to preventing the APC council chairmen and councillors from enjoying the benefit of the judgement of the 10th February, 2025 of the Court of Appeal, Akure Division?
We make bold to observe and conclude that the Abati comment on the *Arise Television* concerning the debacle on the Osun State Local government councils’ allocations was far from being charitable and it is hereby condemned on the basis of its biased posture.
If we may ask, why should Abati hit Barrister Kunle Rasheed Adegoke SAN (K-RAD) below the belt by not allowing him an opportunity to defend himself by the way of the spewing of the charade and gibberish apparently with a motive to tilt a legal opinion in favour of Governor Adeleke for a suspected reason which could not have been objective?
Abati and his cohorts should desist from playing the role of a policeman for the people of this country as the former Ogun State PDP deputy governorship aspirant’s known political leaning has not only soiled him but exposed him for what he is, where he’s going and coming back from which is the more reason why he should disqualify himself from the suspected hatchet job.
It was surprising that Abati could shore up his slanting remark on the Osun State local government federal allocations with the already condemned submissions of some apparently hired human rights bodies, (dis)organized trade unions and traditional institutions which are not known to be a replacement for the court of law.
It would profit Abati the more if he could cease staking his integrity in all ramifications, for what might be the attraction, in the interest of his placement in history as human beings unwittingly write history every day. It would be less dignifying for him, with his attainment in life, to tie proverbial grains of corn round his waist thereby ridiculously subjecting himself to a play mate of metaphorical fowls.
As if the nauseating intervention of Abati on the Osun local government councils’ allocations was not enough, it was stranger than fiction seeing the former Ogun State deputy governorship aspirant tasking the Supreme Court on what to do on the raging issue which is already in the apex court of the land.
Where was the voice of ‘Justice’ Abati when the PDP hoodlums murdered in broad daylight Honourable Remi Abass, the reinstated APC chairman of Irewole Local Government Council Area of Osun State and our other five members and supporters during the desperation of the illegal PDP chairmen to force their ways into the councils?
Abati and his ilk should be abreast of the fact that it is a fallacious narrative that the Federal Government or any of its agencies is responsible for the delay in the payment of the due federal allocations to the local government council areas in Osun State.
Governor Adeleke who has been keeping the NULGE outside the four walls of the local government councils for seven months’ running has largely been responsible for the non-payment of the federal allocations as since the reinstated APC chairmen had reported at their duty posts in the various local government councils, the state governor has been aiding and abetting the striking NULGE.
It sounds strange that it is the same Governor Adeleke who has been working fervently to block the payment of the council allocations that has been making the loudest noise for its non-payment which could be likened to him approbating and reprobating at the same time in order to create a needless fuss and scene to curry unmerited cheap sympathy in the court of the public.
The NBA objection as cited by Abati is neither a source of law or a law in Nigeria. It is on record that Osun State has refused to appeal the February 10th, 2025 Court of Appeal judgement which is an indication that they agreed with it: Bassey v. Government of Cross River State & Ors (NICN) CA/41/2023.
It should be known to Abati that a court can only rule on the facts and issues before it: Archibong v the State (2022) 1 NWLR (pt 1811) 239. The facts or issues before the Court of Appeal in the APC application to relist appeal was NOT the question of who was the valid occupant of Local Government Councils in Osun State. They could not rule on it. Any Court who pronounces on it would have no jurisdiction. Any such pronouncement would be irrelevant and cannot even be appealed: Ukwu v Bunge (1997) Legalpedia (SC) 61243.
A ratio decidendi is defined as: ” the reason for a decision. The legal principle or rule that is necessary to resolve the case and forms THE BINDING PART of the court’s judgement. This rule of law, derived from the MATERIAL FACTS of a case and the court’s reasoning, establishes a precedent that lower courts must follow.
The material facts of the validity of anyone’s occupation of the Local Government Councils in Osun State, was not before the Court, and could not have been a binding pronouncement.
Such a pronouncement could only be an OBITER DICTUM. An Obiter Dictum means “by the way”. It is defined as ” non binding, INCIDENTAL remarks made by a Judge”.
e-SIGNED:
*Mogaji KOLA OLABISI, Osun State APC Director of Media and Information.*
