Nigerian lawyer and public interest advocate, Mr. Liborous Oshoma, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of leveraging federal authority to create chaos in Osun State’s local government administration.
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In an exclusive interview with Tribune Online, Oshoma criticized the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), for allegedly disregarding court rulings that affirm the legitimacy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led local government officials elected on February 22, 2025.
Oshoma described the ongoing local government crisis in Osun as a deliberate ploy by the APC, backed by federal might, to undermine the rule of law. He pointed to conflicting court judgments surrounding the 2022 local government elections conducted under the APC-led administration of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola.
While a Federal High Court in Osogbo nullified the October 2022 election for violating the Electoral Act, the Court of Appeal later dismissed one related suit (PDP vs. APC) but upheld another (APP vs. APC), which sacked APC-elected officials. This subsisting judgment, Oshoma argued, validates the PDP’s February 2025 election, yet the AGF has selectively cited the dismissed case to support APC’s claim to the councils.
“The Attorney-General is cherry-picking judgments, ignoring a subsisting ruling that sacked APC chairmen,” Oshoma said. “This is not a crisis; it’s a contrived chaos by the APC using federal power.” He warned that directing local government funds to APC officials, as instructed by the AGF on March 26, 2025, risks diverting public funds into private accounts, potentially leading to anarchy.
Oshoma highlighted a controversial directive from the Accountant-General of the Federation, instructing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to open accounts for APC officials, despite their sacking by the courts. He questioned the legality of such actions, noting that statutory signatories to local government accounts are civil servants, not elected officials. “The federal government is creating confusion by addressing letters to the APC secretariat instead of legitimate local government authorities,” he stated, warning that this could paralyze council operations and prevent salary payments.
The Osun State Government, led by PDP Governor Ademola Adeleke, has accused the AGF and CBN of plotting to divert local government funds, echoing Oshoma’s concerns. The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has also urged President Bola Tinubu to enforce the latest Appeal Court ruling affirming PDP’s victory, warning against flouting judicial decisions.
Oshoma urged career civil servants to uphold their integrity and resist pressure to comply with unlawful directives. “Do what is right, because the EFCC will come for you, not the politicians giving the orders,” he advised, citing past cases where civil servants faced consequences for following illegal instructions. He also called on President Tinubu to intervene, reminding him of his own resistance to federal overreach during his tenure as Lagos State Governor. “The President should not allow his administration to muzzle opposition using the same tactics he once opposed,” Oshoma said.
The lawyer emphasized the need for the AGF to act as the nation’s chief protector of the law, not a partisan figure. “Fagbemi must recognize the subsisting court judgments and ensure local government funds go to duly elected PDP officials,” he stated, warning that failure to do so could tarnish the AGF’s legacy.
Beyond Osun, Oshoma expressed dissatisfaction with Nigeria’s governance, particularly at the local and state levels. He lamented the erosion of local government autonomy, describing state assemblies as appendages of governors’ offices and local administrations as non-existent. “We’ve turned governance into a comic show,” he said, contrasting the current system with the effective local governance of the past under leaders like Lateef Jakande and Ambrose Alli.
Oshoma advocated for adherence to the rule of law as the solution to the crisis. He supported the Osun PDP’s legal approach, noting their restraint in avoiding self-help despite federal pressure. The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) have similarly called for enforcement of the Appeal Court’s June 13, 2025, ruling, which dismissed APC’s bid to relist its appeal and affirmed PDP’s control of the councils.
As tensions rise, with police deployed to prevent clashes between APC and PDP officials, Oshoma urged all parties to prioritize judicial pronouncements over political maneuvering. “The law is all I know, and that’s what we must uphold to avoid anarchy,” he concluded.
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