COURT DISMISSES SUIT BY SACKED OSUN LG CHAIRMEN TO ACCESS FROZEN COUNCIL FUNDS

Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan, on Thursday dismissed an application filed by sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) local government chairmen in Osun State seeking to overturn orders freezing contentious council funds domiciled in United Bank for Africa (UBA).

The former chairmen, described as “Persons Affected” in their filing, had brought the application in Suit No. I/1149/2025: Attorney General of Osun State & Anor v. UBA PLC, seeking, among other reliefs, leave of court to challenge the ex parte order that froze the accounts granted on 26 September 2025 and the reversal of that order.

They had argued among others that the freezing order was obstructing governance at local government level across Osun State, and that leaving the order in place would amount to a violation of the 1999 Constitution.

At Thursday’s proceedings, the applicants and principal parties were absent. Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, appeared with E.Y. Ajayi and D.G. Egunjobi for the Osun State Attorney General, while Oluwatomiwa Fadeyi represented UBA.

Delivering his ruling, Justice Akintola held that the application lacked merit. He found that the sacked chairmen were “strangers to the suit” since they had earlier withdrawn their application for joinder. The court held, in particular, that they had no legally recognisable interest in the frozen funds, and therefore lacked the locus standi to seek either the discharge of the ex parte order or the striking out of the suit.

The judge noted that the withdrawal of their joinder motion by their senior counsel was itself acknowledgment that they had no legal claim to the funds. He therefore dismissed the application in its entirety.

Following the ruling, Adetunbi, SAN, expressed appreciation to the court for what he described as a well-delivered decision. He also informed the court of his clients’ intention to obtain a clearer copy of the Supreme Court judgment delivered on 5 December 2025 in SC/CV/773/2025: Attorney General of Osun State v. Attorney General of the Federation, to guide their next steps in the matter.

Justice Akintola adjourned the case to 18 December 2025 for mention.