The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe (SAN), has strongly criticized the Federal High Court for entertaining cases related to the ongoing local government crisis in Osun State.
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He expressed concerns about the court’s jurisdiction over matters concerning local government administration, questioning why senior lawyers filed such cases at the federal level instead of the state high court.
Speaking with The PUNCH in a telephone conversation on Sunday, Osigwe emphasized that the root of the crisis lay in the Federal High Court’s involvement in the matter, stating, “What is the business of the Federal High Court in giving decisions one way or the other concerning local government elections in the state? That is the root of the problem in Osun State.”
He further questioned whether the federal high court had the authority to determine the validity of laws passed concerning local government elections, stating that such cases should be handled by the state judiciary. “Does the Federal High Court have jurisdiction to make pronouncements on whether a law passed concerning local government elections is valid or invalid? Why does it entertain such cases when it ought not to?” Osigwe asked.
The political tension in Osun State has escalated following the conduct of local government elections by the state government, despite an appeal court ruling purportedly reinstating the previously sacked APC local government chairmen. The situation led to a standoff between the PDP and APC, with conflicting claims of authority over the councils.
Governor Ademola Adeleke, who swore in newly elected PDP chairmen and councillors, directed them to stay away from local government secretariats to avoid clashes with the reinstated APC officials. Meanwhile, the APC vowed to take legal and financial measures to prevent the new PDP chairmen from accessing council funds, including petitioning banks to freeze the accounts of the councils.
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