Withheld LG Funds: Osun Govt Seeks Transfer Of Case To Osogbo
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed September 29 to hear a motion filed by the Osun State Government challenging the court’s jurisdiction in a case over withheld local government funds.
At Monday’s proceedings, counsel to Osun State, Musibau Adetumbi, argued that since the court’s vacation ended on September 16, the matter should no longer be heard in Abuja but be transferred to the Osogbo division.
Adetumbi further contended that the fiat earlier granted to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to entertain the case during vacation had lapsed.
He also raised concerns about a letter from the office of the Chief Judge assigning the matter to Justice Emeka Nwite in Abuja, claiming the document was signed by “a personal assistant to the personal assistant of the Chief Judge,” a person he described as “unknown to law.”
The Osun government urged the court to first determine the validity of the letter before hearing the substantive suit.
However, counsel to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Muritala Abdulrasheed, and counsel to the Accountant-General of the Federation, Tajudeen Oladoja, opposed the objection.
They described the motion as a ploy to delay proceedings, warning that the tenure of the elected APC chairmen and councillors in Osun would expire on October 22, which could render the case academic.
After hearing the arguments, Justice Nwite fixed September 29 to rule on the jurisdictional issues.
Earlier in the day, the court struck out the name of the AGF as a defendant after the plaintiff, Osun’s Attorney-General, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, withdrew the case against him, citing a similar matter already pending before the Supreme Court.
The suit by the Osun government seeks to restrain the CBN and the Accountant-General from opening or maintaining accounts for APC local government chairmen elected in October 2022.
The state insists that the officials had been removed by a subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court, which was later affirmed by the Court of Appeal, and that releasing funds to them would amount to contempt of court.
Additionally, the government is seeking an interim injunction to stop the disbursement of allocations to the affected chairmen and councillors pending the determination of the case.
Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.
