Osun LG funds: Supreme Court reserves judgement in suit against AGF

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has reserved judgement in a suit filed by the Osun State Government seeking to stop the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) from releasing the withheld local government funds to the disputed officials who were elected on the platform of the All-Progressives Congress (APC). A seven-member panel of justices led […]

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has reserved judgement in a suit filed by the Osun State Government seeking to stop the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) from releasing the withheld local government funds to the disputed officials who were elected on the platform of the All-Progressives Congress (APC).

A seven-member panel of justices led by Justice Uwani Aba’aji reserved judgement after taking arguments from counsel to Osun State, Musbau Adetumbi (SAN), and counsel to the AGF, Akin Olujimi (SAN).

The panel announced that the date for the judgement would be communicated to the parties when it is ready.

In the suit with number: SC/CV/773/2023, the Osun Attorney General sought an order of the apex court directing the AGF to immediately release the statutory allocations to chairmen and councillors validly elected for the 30 local government areas of Osun State.

While arguing the case of the state government, Adetumbi pleaded with the panel to uphold his arguments and grant all the reliefs sought, as the election that brought in the APC local government chairmen and councillors had been nullified by the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

Objecting to the submission, Olujimi asked the apex court to dismiss the Osun case for lack of jurisdiction to entertain the matter, as the matter was between two political parties.  

The senior lawyer argued that the suit did not disclose any cause of action, adding that the tenure of the disputed council chairmen is still running till October 22 and that the proper thing was for the statutory allocation to be released to them to run the councils.

The Osun State Government had earlier informed a Federal High Court in Abuja to strike out the name of the AGF following the action it commenced at the apex court challenging his failure to comply with subsisting judgments of both the Federal High Court, Osogbo Division, delivered on November 30, 2022, and the Court of Appeal ruling of June 13, 2025, which recognised the local government chairmen and councillors elected on February 22, 2025.