…adjourns to Nov 27
By Adeola Badru
IBADAN — The legal battle over the control of Osun State local government funds took a new twist yesterday as the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan extended the freezing order on 30 bank accounts linked to the disputed allocations.
Presiding Judge, Justice Ladiran Akintola, gave the order while adjourning the matter to November 27, 2025, for ruling on applications challenging the court’s jurisdiction, as well as motions filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking to be joined as interested parties.
In a major development, Justice Akintola dismissed UBA Plc’s request for an indefinite (sine die) adjournment of the case, which the bank’s lead counsel, Ojo Adebayo (SAN), had sought pending the outcome of a similar matter currently before the Supreme Court.
The judge held that such an application could not be entertained while issues bordering on jurisdiction and joinder were still unresolved, stressing the need for the matter to proceed within a reasonable timeframe.
Lead counsel to the claimants, Mr. Musibau Adetunmbi (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the motions filed by both the APC and PDP, insisting that neither party had the legal capacity to participate in the case.
“The APC is a complete stranger to this matter and therefore lacks the locus standi to file any application,” Adetunmbi argued, maintaining that the Oyo State High Court had the requisite jurisdiction to adjudicate on the dispute.
However, APC’s lead counsel, Mr. Kazeem Gbadamosi (SAN), objected to the competence of the court, arguing that under the 1999 Constitution, only local government councils have the authority to manage local government funds. He also questioned the court’s territorial jurisdiction.
Counsel representing the Attorney General of Osun State countered Gbadamosi’s arguments, citing judicial authorities affirming the court’s power to entertain the matter.
After listening to all submissions, Justice Akintola adjourned the case for ruling on both the jurisdictional objection and the joinder applications.
In a related case, the judge referred a separate suit filed by the PDP against UBA Plc to the Chief Judge of Oyo State for reassignment to another court.
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