Due to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), allegedly unlawfully withholding statutory allocations owed to its 30 local government councils since March 2025, the Osun State Government has launched a new lawsuit against him in the Supreme Court.  

The state government filed an application to withdraw an earlier lawsuit against the AGF on the same subject matter months prior to the new complaint that was filed on Monday.  

Through its Attorney-General and a legal team headed by Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), the state is requesting in the originating summons filed on Monday that the Supreme Court order the Federal Government to stop what it called "an unconstitutional and arbitrary seizure" of local government revenues and to release all seized funds.

The Osun AG contended that the AGF had disregarded earlier rulings from the Court of Appeal (June 13, 2025) and the Federal High Court, Osogbo (issued November 30, 2022), which upheld the validity of council chairmen and council members chosen on February 22, 2025.  

According to the state, the AGF recommended in a letter dated March 26, 2025, that the monies be retained until a "local government crisis" was resolved.  

However, the state government insisted that the October 2022 elections held under the previous administration were void because the appellate court's decision had already resolved the issue.

Osun is requesting, among other things, statements that the AGF is not authorized by the constitution to take local government monies, that his acts are against legitimate court rulings, and that any withheld cash be transferred straight into the accounts of the democratically elected councils.  Additionally, it seeks a permanent injunction to prevent seizures in the future.

“The seizure, suspension, withholding and/or refusal to pay the allocations and revenues due to the constituent local government councils of the plaintiff state… is unconstitutional, unlawful, wrongful and ultra vires the powers of the defendant,” part of the suit reads.

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