The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Osun State has petitioned Western embassies and global human rights organisations, accusing the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Minister, Adegboyega Oyetola of disobeying a court order regarding local government leadership in the state.
A statement issued on Monday and signed by the Osun PDP chairman, Sunday Bisi, alleged that the Attorney General of the Federation, Fagbemi, and Oyetola, were involved in a plot to undermine a Court of Appeal judgment recognising PDP-elected chairmen and councillors.
The PDP which claimed that local government allocations meant for the state had been withheld for five consecutive months, described the move as illegal and politically motivated.
The party stated, “Rather than ensuring compliance with the court order, Mr Oyetola is leveraging his family ties to President Bola Tinubu to illegally withhold Osun local governments’ allocations without any valid legal basis.”
Referencing the Court of Appeal judgment, the PDP insisted that the reinstatement of its elected officials was backed by law and that continued defiance amounted to contempt of court.
“We found this development worrisome and an open threat to democratic governance. We call on the Western embassies and global rights community to sanction the two federal officials for actions and conduct capable of truncating democracy in Osun State,” Bisi said.
The PDP called for international punitive measures, including visa bans, to compel adherence to constitutional provisions and judicial rulings.
“We seek visa ban and other sundry punitive actions to force these federal officials to comply with the rule of law. This is a democracy and no individual should be allowed to breach the constitution and due process,” Bisi added.
The statement called on global bodies to investigate alleged anti-democratic practices and document democratic threats in Osun ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial election and the 2027 general elections.
“We crave that the diplomatic community and right groups adopt the Osun 2026 gubernatorial elections as a pre-2027 test case by highlighting risks and opportunities as the elections draw nearer,” the party noted.
The PDP pledged to continue its protest to international organisations including Transparency International, Amnesty International, the International Crisis Group, and the European Union.
“We will not relent until the legitimately elected council leadership in Osun are allowed to function and local government funds are released without further delay,” Bisi threatened.
