NBA acting as ‘interloper’ in Osun LG crisis, says APC

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticised the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), accusing it of playing the role of a “meddlesome interloper” in the lingering dispute over the payment of allocations to local government councils in the state.

In a statement signed by its chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, the APC expressed disappointment at what it described as the “disheartening and shameful interference” of the NBA, insisting that the legal body has no jurisdiction to review or interpret judgments on the matter.

Lawal argued that the NBA was not a party to the suit and therefore had no locus to review it. He maintained that only the Supreme Court has the authority to interpret or give a final decision on such judgments, citing Oriker Jev & Ors v Iyortom & Ors (2015) NWLR (pt 1483) 484 as a reference point.

The APC chairman further accused the NBA of acting ultra vires by suggesting that the courts had given “tacit recognition” to local government executives backed by Governor Ademola Adeleke, stressing that such a concept has no basis in Nigerian law.

He questioned the NBA’s position, stating that the idea of “tacit recognition” was disingenuously invented to justify pecuniary interests and had never been a subject of litigation before any court in Nigeria.

The APC also faulted the NBA for inconsistency, recalling that the body, through its current president, Afam Osigwe, SAN, had previously criticised the Federal High Court for entertaining suits on local government election disputes in Osun, only to later reverse its stance.

According to Lawal, the NBA contradicted itself by first agreeing with the Court of Appeal’s judgment of February 10, 2025, which affirmed that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction, and then later advising the Attorney-General of the Federation to disregard the same ruling despite a June 13, 2025, reaffirmation by the Court of Appeal.

The party advised the NBA to refrain from dragging the image of the legal profession into what it described as self-serving positions and to desist from using its platform for personal gains.