Adeleke blames Osun CJ for judicial shutdown, denies role in JUSUN strike

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has dismissed allegations by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Osun State that his appointees are responsible for the prolonged shutdown of the State judiciary, insisting that the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) strike is a direct result of the Chief Judge’s refusal to convene meetings of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

He was reacting to a petition submitted by the Forum of NBA Branches in Osun State on 8 December 2025, which accused his administration of contributing to the paralysis of judicial activities. Adeleke described the allegations as misrepresentations and reaffirmed his commitment to constitutional governance and a functional judiciary.

In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, the governor alleged that the Chief Judge had failed to convene JSC meetings for two years despite several requests from the Attorney-General and JUSUN leadership. The statement challenged the Chief Judge and the NBA to produce any letter showing she convened a meeting or directed the Secretary of the Commission to do so.

Adeleke maintained that the inability of the JSC to sit was not due to any boycott by his appointees but the “persistent refusal” of the Chief Judge to perform her statutory duties. He argued that this refusal directly triggered the industrial action.

The government also cited documented correspondences showing the Chief Judge allegedly declining to summon JSC meetings, including letters dated 11 March and 10 July 2024, alongside a joint request from JSC members calling for adherence to a previously signed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).

The governor recalled intervening during an earlier JUSUN strike, which led to the signing of a tripartite MOA on 16 February 2024 involving the National President of JUSUN, the Attorney-General, and the Chief Registrar. The agreement, he said, placed specific obligations on the Chief Judge, particularly the convening of JSC meetings to address staff welfare matters.

The statement stressed that no government appointee boycotted JSC meetings, noting that the Chief Judge had never convened any meeting of the Commission as required by Section 203 of the Constitution. It added that the only attempted meeting resulted from an “unconstitutional” verbal directive by Hon. Justice Shiyanbola, President of the Customary Court of Appeal, but the High Court premises were locked by striking JUSUN members on the chosen date.

It added that JUSUN had repeatedly warned the Chief Judge that industrial action would begin if meetings were not convened, yet she neither engaged the union nor addressed its grievances. According to the statement, JUSUN communiqués indicated that the Chief Judge travelled abroad at the onset of the strike, leaving the State and showing indifference to the crisis.