The Appeal Court sitting in Akure Friday struck out a request by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to relist its appeal against the 2022 Federal High Court judgement that nullified local government elections held in Osun State.
TheHintsNews reports that the former Governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola, at the twilight of his administration conducted controversial local government elections in October 2022.
The elections, conducted with a “Yes/No” voting system —which was alien to any voting system in the country — saw APC candidates declared winners across the state.
TheHintsNews recalled that two separate Federal High Court verdicts had sacked APC elected executives but were reinstated by the Appeal Court in February 10th 2025 in suit against the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), leaving All People’s Party (APP) suit unchallenged.
Subsequently, a crisis engulfed the state as both PDP and APC laid claim on the council’s secretariat leading to killings of their supporters.
Checks revealed that the 30 local government councils in the state have been under lock and key since February 2025 over a deadly bid for the control of the councils by the parties.
However, the federal government is backing the APC’s claim by withholding allocations to the local governments since February, a decision which the state government is contesting at the Supreme Court.
In a unanimous decision delivered virtually on Friday and read by Justice Peter Obiorah, the court declared that the appeal lacked merit, emphasising that APC’s failure to act promptly on its legal rights amounted to a self-inflicted injury.
He noted, “It is a case of volenti non fit injuria—they cannot complain of harm they brought upon themselves. Equity aids the vigilant, not the indolent.”
The panel questioned why only one of the three appellants was seeking to relist the appeal through a joint notice, noting that even if this were permissible, no credible reason was presented for the delay in transmitting court records.
“If the APC was truly sincere, considering the number of candidates affected, why did they abandon the case for two years?” the court asked.
Justice Obiorah pointed out that the APC had pursued a similar appeal based on the same facts and before the same judge, Justice Ayo Emmanuel, yet failed to prosecute the case diligently.
The panel rejected the party’s attempt to revive the dismissed appeal, warning that granting such a request would only create confusion
The application lacks merit and is hereby dismissed,” the court ruled.