The Osun State Government has objected to the transfer of its suit seeking to block the release of withheld local government allocations to sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen and councillors.
At the resumed hearing in Abuja on Monday, counsel to the state, Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, asked the Federal High Court to return the case to Osogbo, where it was originally filed. He argued that the relocation order issued by the Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho, showed bias and that there was no urgency to warrant a vacation hearing.
The state also sought to remove the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as a party, noting that it had filed a fresh suit against him at the Supreme Court. It urged the high court to halt proceedings until the apex court rules on the matter.
But the AGF’s lawyer, Akin Olujimi, SAN, opposed the request, insisting the minister had a right to be heard and accusing the plaintiff of attempting to dictate the court’s handling of the case. He confirmed he had filed a counter-affidavit challenging the competence of the suit.
Counsel to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGoF) also accused Osun of deliberately stalling, pointing out that the tenure of the embattled council officials ends on October 22. They urged the court to proceed swiftly, warning the case could otherwise become academic.
Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the matter to September 22, ruling that the state’s motion challenging the court’s jurisdiction would be heard first.
Osun had earlier secured an interim injunction restraining the CBN and the AGoF from disbursing funds to the sacked chairmen and councillors, who were removed from office by a Federal High Court judgment.
