Court Fixes June 4 To Hear Osun’s Suit Seeking To Restrain CBN From Opening Accounts For APC Chairmen

A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has fixed June 4, 2025, to hear a suit seeking to restrain the Central Bank of Nigeria from opening accounts for chairmen elected in the October 12, 2022, local government election in Osun State.

Osun State Attorney General, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, had approached the court seeking four reliefs that include restraining the CBN, Accountant General of the Federation and the Attorney General of the Federation from opening or maintaining accounts for the chairmen that were elected in the October 12, 2022 election, which had only candidates of the All Progressives Congress participating.

The defendants in the suit numbered FHC/CS/OS/94/2025 are the CBN, Accountant General of the Federation and the Attorney General of the Federation.

Counsel to Osun Attorney General, Mr. Musibau Adetunbi, supported his motion exparte with an affidavit deposed to by Olufemi Akande Ogundun dated May 12, 2025.

The reliefs sought by the applicant read partly, “An order of interim injunction restraining the Defendants/Respondents, acting for themselves or through their Agents, Privies, assigns and/or anybody or person whosoever from opening, operating and/or maintaining any Local Government Accounts in favour of any purported Local Government Council Chairmen and Councilors in Osun State who have been sacked/removed from office by a subsisting Judgement of the Federal High Court in Suit No. FHC/OS/CS/103 2022.

“An order of interim injunction restraining the 1 and 2 Defendants/Respondents from giving effect to, carry out, or further carrying out the directives of the 3” Defendant/Respondent authorizing them to open and operate Local Government Accounts in favour of the sacked All Progressive Congress (APC) Local Government Council Chairmen and Councilors in Osun State pursuant to the nullified Local Government Election of 15 October 2022, which said Chairmen and Councilors have been duly removed from office by a subsisting Judgement of the Federal High Court in Suit No. FHC/OS/CS/103 2022, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction.

“An order of interim injunction restraining the 1 and 2nd Defendants from disbursing or causing to be disbursed any Allocation, Revenue of Funds standing to the credit of the 30 Local Government Councils in Osun State to the sacked All Progressive Congress (APC) Local Government Council Chairmen and Councilors in Osun State who have been duly removed from office by a subsisting Judgement of the Federal High Court in Suit No. FHC/OS/CS/103 2022, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction.”

After reading the motion, Justice Adefunmilola Demi-Ajayi, in the order dated May 15, 2025, subsequently held, “THAT The Plaintiff/Applicant shall serve on all Defendants/Respondents the pending Applications within 7 days from today 15th day of May, 2025.

“THAT the Parties are to maintain the status quo in respect of this matter. That the return date is 4th day of June, 2025, for hearing.”

Meanwhile, Osun APC has cautioned against misinterpretation of court orders, insisting that Justice Demi-Ajayi did not stop account opening for its local government chairmen.

A statement signed by the spokesperson for the party, Kola Olabisi, in reaction to the court order that went viral on social media on Thursday read, “Our attention has been drawn to a court order trending online to the effect that a court has sacked and restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the nation’s Accountant-General from disbursing and releasing funds to the reinstated chairmen and councillors in Osun State.

“This claim is false as no court restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria or the Accountant General from disbursing allocation to the reinstated council executives of the APC extraction.

“Contrary to the false claim of the state government of Osun and its collaborators in the PDP, Justice Adefunmilola Demi-Ajayi actually declined the evil requests and prayers of the Osun State Government.”