By Abiola Olawale
The Oyo State High Court in Ibadan has extended its interim injunction against United Bank for Africa (UBA), freezing 30 bank accounts linked to withheld Osun State LG allocations until October 9, 2025.
This decision was delivered on Friday by Justice Ladiran Akintola of Court 5.
The order comes days after the Federal Government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), released months of seized statutory allocations into the UBA accounts on September 26, 2025.
These accounts were allegedly opened by APC loyalists, including court-sacked LG chairmen and councillors from the 2022 elections.
Meanwhile, Justice Akintola, in his ruling on Friday, said the extension was necessary to ensure a fair hearing for all parties in the suit marked No. 1/1149/2025: the Attorney-General of Osun State, the Osun State Local Government Service Commission, and UBA Plc.
The New Diplomat reports that during the court proceedings, lawyers representing the sacked APC council chairmen, led by Kazeem Gbadamosi, SAN, were present, having applied for joinder and another challenging the court’s territorial jurisdiction.
However, counsel to the plaintiffs, Musibau Adetunmbi, SAN, argued that he required time to study the applications, which were only filed on Thursday and Friday.
In opposing the extension, Gbadamosi contended that his clients were directly affected by the injunction and therefore had a right to be joined in the suit. He further argued that a court whose jurisdiction is under challenge lacks the power to renew an expired order.
During proceedings, the court received a further affidavit from Mrs. Rachael Abidemi, Head of Local Government Administration in Boluwaduro LGA. She alleged attempts to siphon funds in defiance of the court order, citing a letter written to UBA by two individuals who styled themselves as the council chairman and treasurer, directing the bank to pay 15% of allocations into a private law firm’s account.
Mrs. Abidemi maintained the individuals had no legal authority, noting that Osun’s 2025 LG administration guidelines only recognise the Director of Finance and Director of Administration & General Services as signatories to council accounts. She tendered exhibits to confirm the current officers.
The New Diplomat reports that the ongoing crisis goes back to the October 2022 local government elections conducted under the administration of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, an APC stalwart now serving as Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.
The polls, boycotted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), were won by all 30 council positions for APC candidates.
However, shortly after PDP’s Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State assumed office in November 2022, a Federal High Court in Osogbo nullified the elections in two separate suits filed by the PDP and the Action Peoples Party (APP).
The officials were consequently sacked, and their tenure was deemed invalid due to procedural flaws under the Electoral Act 2022.
Adeleke then proceeded with fresh elections on February 22, 2025, where PDP candidates won all seats unopposed after the APC boycotted, citing no vacancies.
The new PDP chairmen were sworn in but barred from assuming physical control of secretariats to avert violence.
The New Diplomat’s checks revealed that the council’s secretariats have remained shut for over seven months.
The standoff intensified when federal allocations to Osun’s councils, reportedly totaling over ₦46.9 billion since February, were allegedly frozen.
