Withheld allocation: S’Court reserves judgment in Osun govt’s case

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri, Abuja

The Supreme Court, connected Tuesday, reserved for judgement a suit seeking to compel the Federal Government to merchandise each the allocations belonging to Local Government Councils, LGCs, successful Osun State, which it seized.

A seven-member sheet of the court, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, okayed the substance for judgement aft some the Attorney General of the Federation and the Attorney General of Osun State, done their respective counsel, adopted their briefs of argument.

While a erstwhile AGF, Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN, appeared for FG, the Osun State authorities was represented by Mr Musibau Adetunbi, SAN.

Osun State, successful the suit marked SC/CV/775/2025, sought 10 reliefs from the court, among which included a declaration that the AGF, who was cited arsenic the sole defendant, is constitutionally obligated to enforce and comply with tribunal decisions that affirmed the beingness of democratically elected LGCs successful Osun, followingan predetermination that was conducted successful the authorities connected February 22, 2025.

The authorities prayed the tribunal to state that the AGF cannot enactment arbitrarily and contrary to the subsisting and binding decisions of some the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, delivered connected November 30, 2022, successful Suit No. FHC/OS/CS/103/2022 and connected June 13, 2025, successful Appeal No. CA/AK/15/2025, respectively, “by unlawfully and unilaterally bequeathing the statutory allocations accruing to the payment of the 30 LGCs of the plaintiff to its ain prime candidates, successful full contravention of the extant decisions of the courts aforementioned.”

It further sought a declaration that the AGF had nary close to withhold, suspend and/or prehend the monthly allocations, revenues and/or different funds lasting to the recognition of the LGCs without lawful justification, particularly successful presumption of the information that the authorities already had successful spot democratically elected LGCs.

“An bid restraining the suspect from paying and/or causing to beryllium paid the statutory allocations lasting to the recognition of the 30 section governments successful the plaintiff authorities to the sacked All Progressive Congress (APC) section authorities chairmen and councillors pursuant to the nullified section authorities predetermination of 15th October, 2022, whose predetermination and subsistence successful bureau had been annulled by valid, extant, unchallenged and subsisting decisions of the Federal High Court successful Suit No. FHC/OS/CS/103/2022 and that of the Court of Appeal successful Appeal No. CA/AK/15/2025, delivered connected 30th November, 2022, and 13th June, 2025, respectively.”

“An bid directing the suspect to forthwith merchandise the monthly allocations and revenues owed to and lasting to the recognition of the constituent Local Government Councils of Osun State for each the months they person been unlawfully and unjustifiably withheld by the suspect and wage aforesaid straight into the Local Government allocation accounts to beryllium opened successful favour of the validly elected Local Government Council officials elected pursuant to the predetermination conducted successful the plaintiff authorities connected 22 February, 2025 and sworn successful connected 23 February, 2025.

“An bid directing the suspect to forthwith wage the allocation, revenues and different funds accruing and owed to the Local Government Councils of the plaintiff authorities to the validly elected Local Government Council officials elected pursuant to the predetermination conducted successful the plaintiff authorities connected 22nd February, 2025 and sworn successful connected 23rd February, 2025.

As good as: “An bid of perpetual injunction restraining the suspect from further withholding, suspending and/or seizing the monthly allocations, revenues and/or funds lasting to the recognition of the constituent Local Government Councils of the plaintiff authorities for arsenic agelong arsenic the plaintiff authorities has successful spot democratically elected Local Government Councils successful its state.”

While adopting his processes connected Tuesday, counsel to the authorities told the Supreme Court that the AGF had, successful a missive dated March 26, directed that the withheld allocations should beryllium released to APC chairmen and councillors that were already sacked from bureau by a tribunal judgement.

He said, “My Lords, adjacent portion this substance was pending earlier this court, the suspect attempted to destruct the res (subject matter) by attempting to wage the wealth to 1 of the contending parties.

“They really paid done the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, but we were fortunate to get an bid that stopped the merchandise of the money,” Osun sta...