Hon. Justice Adedapo Adeniji of Osun State High Court sitting in Ile-Ife, yesterday, adjourned the case instituted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its 18 candidates disqualified from participating in the February 2025 Local Government Elections by Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) till January 17.

APC and its candidates had approached the court to challenge their disqualification by OSSIEC in the suit marked: HOS/M184/2024.

Apart from OSSIEC, other defendants in the suit include the Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, and the state Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Oluwole Jimi-Bada.

When the matter came up for hearing yesterday, another interested party, All Peoples Party (APP), through its counsel, Monruf Adediran, sought the permission of the court to be joined in the suit and served counsel for the Attorney General, Deji Atoyebi.

Atoyebi asked for an adjournment to enable him to know whether to oppose or allow the application for joinder.

Meanwhile, the counsel for OSSIEC, the first defendant, Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, offered the plaintiffs an out-of-court settlement, suggesting that the claimants withdraw the first set of their reliefs on the validity of the amended notice of the election and non-constitution of any elections petition tribunal, while his client, OSSIEC would review its refusal to accept nomination of the claimants.

Reacting to the out-of-court settlement proposal, counsel for the claimants, Muideen Adeoye Galadima, stated that having regard to the nature of the matter, which is time-bound, he would communicate his position to the court and the OSSIEC after consulting with his clients.

He stated that such required good consultation with his clients so that by the next adjourned date, he would have responses to that effect.

The matter was subsequently adjourned to January 17, for either a hearing or a report of settlement out of court.

Speaking with journalists after the court session, Adeoye expressed gratitude on behalf of the claimants to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for being there for them in all the legal battles the party was facing in the State.

Similarly, Adetunbi, in a separate interview, said he made an offer for an out-of-court settlement to ensure justice for all.

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