The Osun State chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Adedamola Adebayo, have both reacted differently to the recent Supreme Court ruling on withheld local government funds.
Both parties claimed that the judgement favoured them, and released separate statements on Saturday in Osogbo.
The APC, through its Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, praised the judgement, saying it supported the earlier July 2024 decision that confirmed financial independence for local governments in Osun State.
The party said the ruling again invalidated the activities of the PDP chairmen and councillors whom it described as illegally elected.
However, the APC criticised the Osun State House of Assembly for immediately passing the Local Government Accounts Administration Bill, 2025, after the judgement. It described the Assembly’s action as unconstitutional and an attempt to weaken the effect of the court ruling.
According to the party, the lawmakers passed the bill too quickly, claiming they were reacting to the outcome of the legal case.
The APC stated that the new law was aimed at weakening newly reinstated council officials aligned with its party. It insisted the law would not stand and urged residents to hold lawmakers accountable.
The APC also alleged that some people were pretending to be members of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), calling such behaviour criminal.
Meanwhile, PDP governorship candidate for the 2026 election, Adedamola Adebayo, welcomed the judgement but gave a different interpretation. He said the ruling favoured PDP candidates elected into local councils and said they should now take full control of their offices.
Adebayo won the PDP primary election with 919 votes earlier in the week. He urged party members to celebrate peacefully and avoid any form of disorderliness.
He also warned against violence, promising to use legal steps to protect PDP local government leaders.
He praised PDP members for remaining calm during the court process and encouraged them to stay committed ahead of the upcoming elections.
Earlier, it was reported that the Supreme Court struck out a suit by the Osun State Government that had asked the Federal Government to release withheld council allocations. Six out of seven justices ruled that the case lacked legal standing.
Both APC and PDP-aligned ALGON members have since claimed the ruling supports their position.
