The political landscape in Osun State was further polarised on Wednesday as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, issued opposing statements over the legal status of local government chairmen and the role of the judiciary in the dispute.

The Osun PDP accused the APC of blackmailing the judiciary to retain control over local government councils.

It alleged that the APC had been misleading the public regarding a recent court judgment. It warned that the illegal occupation of the local government secretariats is coming to an end.

In a press statement signed by the PDP’s Director of Media and Publicity, Hezekiah Olabamiji, the party claimed that the APC was misrepresenting court orders to sustain a narrative of reinstatement for its sacked council chairmen.

Olabamiji declared that, “The accusations from the APC are lies from the pit of hell. There is no judgment reinstating the sacked chairmen, and the judgment of the Federal High Court sacking them still stands.”

The PDP also called on the judiciary to remain steadfast in the face of repeated blackmail from the opposition party.

The Osun PDP reaffirmed its position, declaring its confidence in the judiciary’s independence and accusing the APC of desperation in the face of impending legal defeat and suggesting that APC leaders in the state could face contempt charges.

Countering the PDP allegations, the Osun APC claimed that the state government had attempted to mislead the judiciary through an ex parte motion seeking to restrain federal institutions from releasing funds to the reinstated local government officials.

The APC, in a statement by Kola Olabisi, its Director of Media and Information, on Thursday, argued that the court had not granted any of the reliefs sought by the Osun State Government, and had instead ordered all parties to maintain the status quo until the matter is heard on June 4, 2025.

Olabisi said, “The court sensing bait planted in the reliefs sought hurriedly shunned all the reliefs. It is clear that the PDP-led government is attempting a judicial coup.”

The APC provided details of the court proceedings, quoting the interim order, which directed that all applications be served within seven days and that the status quo be preserved.

The party accused the state government of attempting to obtain court orders behind necessary parties and insinuated that it was on the lookout for pliable judges to further its cause—an allegation the PDP had pre-emptively dismissed as defamatory and baseless.

Both parties referenced the judgment of the Federal High Court, with the PDP asserting it had invalidated the APC-led local government administration, and the APC claiming an earlier Appeal Court decision from 10 February 2025 affirmed the officials’ positions.

The APC stated that no reasonable person would love judgment further hardships placed on the masses, insisting that the current legal interpretations supported ongoing governance at the local level.

The dispute over the control of local government councils in Osun has become a flashpoint in the state’s political climate, with both parties relying on competing interpretations of court decisions.