A nonpartisan, youth-led civil society organisation, Insight Initiative for Community and Social Development (IICSD), has called on the Supreme Court of Nigeria to deliver judgment on the long-standing Osun Local Government legal dispute between the Attorney General of Osun State and the Attorney General of the Federation.
The case, marked SC/CV/773/2025, was heard on October 7, 2025, with judgment reserved. Nearly two months later, the verdict is yet to be delivered.
In a letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, IICSD said the delay had deepened the leadership crisis across Osun’s local councils, where two factions continue to lay claim to authority. The organisation warned that the unresolved situation had “paralysed grassroots governance” and stalled critical development functions.
According to the group, more than ₦100 billion allocated to Osun’s local governments since March 2025 remains largely unused due to the uncertainty over legitimate leadership. The inactivity, it said, has disrupted essential services including healthcare delivery, basic education, local infrastructure projects and community-level administration.
IICSD, which runs the Osun Open Local Government Project (OsunOpenLG), noted that the impasse had eroded public trust in the local government system. The project has for years deployed community monitors across council areas to track local government performance, promote civic awareness of council finances and encourage citizen participation through town halls, radio programmes and grassroots advocacy.
Recently, OsunOpenLG launched Amoye, a digital governance tool that provides residents with verified information on local government responsibilities, budget allocations and service delivery. The aim, the group explained, is to strengthen transparency and accountability at the grassroots.
IICSD urged the Supreme Court to expedite its judgment, saying a timely ruling would restore administrative stability and allow local governments in Osun State to resume effective service delivery.
