Supreme Court Reserves Judgment in Osun LG Allocation Dispute

The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in the suit filed by the Attorney General of Osun State against the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) over the alleged withholding of statutory allocations meant for the 30 local government areas in the state.

Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, who led a seven-member panel of justices, reserved judgment to a date that will be communicated to the parties after hearing arguments from both sides.

In the suit, the Osun State Attorney General is seeking an order directing the AGF to immediately release statutory allocations to the chairmen and councillors of the state’s local government areas.

Counsel to the plaintiff, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), invoked the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction, relying on a letter allegedly issued by the AGF recognizing the disputed All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen.
Adetunbi also sought an order restraining the AGF from further withholding or seizing monthly allocations and revenues meant for the local governments, arguing that the councils had democratically elected officials in place.

The Osun Attorney General contended that the AGF’s letter recognizing the APC chairmen was unlawful and premature, as the matter was still pending before the courts. He further argued that the election which produced the APC chairmen had been nullified by a Federal High Court and the decision upheld by the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

While urging the apex court to grant all the reliefs sought, Adetunbi maintained that the AGF acted in disregard of subsisting court judgments.

However, counsel for the AGF, Akin Olujimi (SAN), urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the suit on several grounds.
He argued that the plaintiff lacked the legal authority to institute the case under the court’s original jurisdiction, insisting that the Supreme Court was not competent to hear the matter directly.

Olujimi further submitted that the suit did not disclose any cause of action, noting that the tenure of the disputed council chairmen would expire on October 22, 2025, and that the withheld funds should rightfully be released to them for the administration of their councils.

He also accused the Osun State government of abuse of court processes, saying multiple cases had been filed in different courts on the same subject matter involving the same parties.

The apex court, after taking arguments from both sides, reserved its judgment to a date to be announced later.