Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has challenged the Federal High Court judgment that ordered the deregistration of five political parties, insisting that the ruling was delivered in defiance of an existing directive issued by the Court of Appeal.
The governor described the decision as a serious procedural error and an abuse of judicial process, arguing that the matter was already before the appellate court, which had instructed that further proceedings be halted pending the determination of the appeal.
In a statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke expressed disbelief that the Federal High Court proceeded to deliver its judgment despite being informed of the subsisting appellate court order.
According to the governor, relevant records from the Court of Appeal had already been presented before the trial court as evidence.
“It is on record before Honourable Justice Peter Lifu that the record of proceedings of the Court of Appeal of 22nd May, 2026 was put before his Lordship as Exhibit MAC 2.
“The Court of Appeal specifically pronounced that the delivery of the judgment is still part of the proceedings of the court,” the statement partly read.
Adeleke maintained that the legal battle was far from over and urged members of the public, particularly supporters of the Accord Party in Osun State, not to be alarmed by the development.
The governor expressed confidence that the appellate court would address the matter when it sits on Tuesday, insisting that the party’s legal rights would ultimately be protected.
“I call on Osun people to remain calm and be assured that our rights will be affirmed and our party, the Accord, will be on the ballot on August 15th.
“We will not only be on the ballot, we will win overwhelmingly the forthcoming governorship election. We should remain calm and forge ahead with mobilisation of our people.
“I also want to assure our people that the flag-off of our campaign is holding as scheduled tomorrow. They want to distract us. We are going ahead and we are winning this election. Our lawyers are taking all the necessary steps to right the wrong,” the governor said.
Despite the legal uncertainty created by the court ruling, Adeleke said campaign activities for the forthcoming governorship election would proceed as planned, stressing that neither the judgment nor the ensuing controversy would derail the party’s preparations.
The governor’s reaction came hours after the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered its judgment deregistering five political parties, a decision that has already triggered fresh legal and political debates ahead of the Osun governorship election.
With the Court of Appeal expected to hear the matter, attention is now focused on the appellate proceedings, which could determine the future participation of the affected parties in upcoming elections.
(Ripples)