A civil society group, Osun Democrats for Democracy, has criticized the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, for allegedly overstepping his role in the ongoing Osun Local Government crisis. The group asserted that “the AGF is not a court of law and cannot halt an election or interpret court rulings.”
In a statement signed by its Legal Adviser, Adewale Fowora, and made available to journalists on Thursday, the group accused Fagbemi of bias due to his past role as legal counsel to former Osun State governor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola. It argued that his involvement in the matter compromises his neutrality.
“We are shocked that the Chief Law Officer of the Federation is commenting on a matter in which he has a vested interest. As a former lawyer to Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, he should have recused himself. His stance is not only biased but also legally flawed—he lacks the authority to halt an election or interpret a court judgment,” the statement read.
The group emphasized that only a court of law has the power to stop an election or clarify its own rulings when disputes arise.
“When there are conflicting interpretations of a court ruling, the appropriate step is to return to the court for clarification. The AGF has no constitutional mandate to usurp judicial powers. Furthermore, the judiciary has a well-defined process for enforcing its judgments—one that does not include self-help, which the AGF appears to be endorsing.”
The Osun Democrats for Democracy also accused Fagbemi of selectively addressing court rulings, particularly by ignoring the judgment of the APP (Action Peoples Party), which nullified the candidacies of APC local government aspirants. The group insisted that the Akure appeal ruling had no bearing on the subsisting APP judgment, which remains valid.
“It is concerning that the AGF deliberately omitted the APP judgment, which disqualified APC candidates. That ruling was never challenged in the Akure appeal, meaning the appeal decision has no effect on it.”
Expressing further dissatisfaction, the group questioned the AGF’s sources of legal information and his refusal to seek clarification from the original courts.
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“Who provided the AGF with this misleading information? Why did he not consult the originating courts for verified judgments? Why is the Attorney General publicly supporting those who resorted to self-help instead of following due legal process?”
Despite Fagbemi’s stance, the group urged the Osun State government to proceed with the local government election as scheduled on Saturday, arguing that the AGF’s statement is a political maneuver without legal standing.
“The AGF is not a court and cannot exercise judicial powers. His position is purely political and holds no weight in law,” the group added.
