The hearing in the lawsuit challenging the conduct of the February 22 local government elections in Osun State has been postponed until January 17, 2025.
On Thursday, the Osun State High Court in Ile-Ife delayed the case to hear outstanding motions or a settlement report.
According to report, the Osun All Progressives Congress, APC, launched the petition after 19 of its candidates were disqualified by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, OSSIEC.
The candidates filed a lawsuit against the OSSIEC, the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, and the state attorney general.
The plaintiffs filed legal action to stop the elections, claiming anomalies and exclusion from the local government ballot.
The claimants’ attorney, Muhideen Adeoye, has stated that they are seeking two major reliefs.
According to Adeoye, these comprised “the invalidation of the amended election notice published by OSSIEC on July 18, 2024, and the inclusion of the disqualified candidates if the poll proceeds.”
At the hearing presided over by Justice Adedapo Adeniji, Moruf Adediran, lawyer for the All Peoples Party (APP), requested to join the action.
However, the State Attorney General’s lawyer, Deji Atoyebi, asked for further time to reply to the application.
Meanwhile, Musibau Adetunbi, counsel for the OSSIEC, offered An out-of-court settlement.
He proposed that the claimants drop their challenges to the modified election notice and the lack of an Election Petition Tribunal, while OSSIEC considers its rejection of the candidates’ nominations.
Adeoye also acknowledged the time-sensitive nature of the situation and pledged to discuss with his clients on the suggested settlement, signaling their willingness to present their choice at the next court hearing.
Justice Adeniji ruled on the matter and postponed it to January 17, 2025, for the hearing of the pending petitions or a settlement report.
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