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The legal dispute over the management of Osun State’s local government funds has deepened, as the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan on Thursday extended the order freezing 30 bank accounts connected to the contested allocations.
Presiding over the case, Justice Ladiran Akintola issued the extension while adjourning proceedings until November 27, 2025, for a ruling on motions challenging the court’s jurisdiction, as well as separate applications filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking to join as interested parties.
In a significant development, Justice Akintola dismissed a request from UBA Plc for an indefinite adjournment (sine die) of the proceedings, as sought by the bank’s lead counsel, Ojo Adebayo (SAN), who argued that the case should be suspended pending the outcome of a similar matter before the Supreme Court.
The judge ruled that such a request could not be granted while jurisdictional and joinder issues were unresolved, stressing the need for the matter to progress without undue delay.
Lead counsel for the claimants, Mr. Musibau Adetunmbi (SAN), urged the court to strike out the motions filed by both the APC and PDP, insisting that neither party had the legal standing to participate in the case.
“The APC is a complete stranger to this matter and therefore lacks the locus standi to file any application,” Adetunmbi argued, maintaining that the Oyo State High Court had full jurisdiction to hear and determine the dispute.
However, APC’s lead counsel, Mr. Kazeem Gbadamosi (SAN), contested the competence of the court, contending that, under the 1999 Constitution, only local government councils had the authority to handle local government funds. He also raised objections regarding the court’s territorial jurisdiction.
In response, counsel representing the Attorney General of Osun State countered Gbadamosi’s position, citing judicial precedents confirming the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the case.
After reviewing the arguments from all parties, Justice Akintola adjourned the matter to rule on both the jurisdictional objection and the joinder applications.
In a related proceeding, the judge referred a separate suit instituted by the PDP against UBA Plc to the Chief Judge of Oyo State for reassignment to another court.
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