The Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), Hashim Abioye, on Friday lashed out at the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for allegedly aiding attempts to derail the state’s 2025 local government elections — just as the Court of Appeal sitting in Akure dismissed a fresh bid by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to relist its appeal seeking to reverse the sack of LG chairmen elected in 2022.

The court’s ruling reaffirmed the earlier decision that voided the 2022 local government elections held under the previous administration, which OSSIEC had declared null and void. Abioye, in a statewide broadcast following the verdict, described the judgment as a vindication of the commission’s stance that vacancies existed ahead of the February 2025 council polls.

“The dangerous actors twisted the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on February 10, 2025, and cleverly imported the word ‘reinstatement’ which was never there,” Abioye said. “Sadly, they enlisted the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Inspector-General of Police, who acted on that false premise and jeopardized our democratic process.”

According to him, the AGF and IGP’s actions — which included the sealing of OSSIEC’s premises and public warnings against the conduct of the election — emboldened political saboteurs and subjected commission officials to harassment and threats on the eve of the vote.

“These manipulations were not backed by any court order,” he added. “They ignored the ruling of the Osun High Court that had already declared that vacancies existed in all LGAs. They also disregarded a valid decision of the Court of Appeal which had dismissed a similar appeal by the APC.”

Despite the disruptions, Abioye said the election held peacefully in February 2025, and winners were duly sworn in. He warned that only those elected in that poll remain the legitimate local government officials in the state.

“This is a caveat emptor,” he said. “Dealing with any other persons as LG officials is not only illegitimate, but also a risky aberration.”

He called on the AGF and IGP to apologize to the people of Osun for what he described as a blatant abuse of power and political interference in a legal process.

“The siege is now over,” Abioye declared. “The judgment has brought us relief after months of unjust tribulations.”