A former lawmaker, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has urged the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate Justice A. A. Aderibigbe of the state High Court for granting a counter order despite Appeal Court verdict reinstating sacked council executives.

It will be recalled that Justice Aderibigbe granted the prayers of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) declaring council seats vacant and directed Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) to conduct local government election despite Attorney General of Federation and Inspector General of Police (IGP) warning not to conduct the poll.

Oyintiloye in a statement yesterday described the order of the High Court sitting in Ilesa as illegal, saying “it was at variance with the advice given by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, that Governor Ademola Adeleke should not to proceed with the conduct of the election.

The ex-lawmaker, who represented Obokun State Constituency, said “the order of Justice Aderibigbe is strange. I want to appeal to the NJC to investigate Justice Aderibigbe for bringing the judiciary to ridicule with the judgment he delivered on February 21, recognising vacancies in Osun local governments after the Court of Appeal had returned the unjustly sacked elected chairmen and councillors elected in the October 15, 2022 election.

He queried: “Can the order of the state High Court supersede a judgment of the Court of Appeal? Where and when did Justice Aderibigbe sit to give the order? “Why is it that it was the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice that presented the order of the court to journalists? Can a judge deliver a judgment without persons whose interests (the reinstated APC chairmen and councillors) not being made parties to the suit?’’

The APC chieftain subsequently urged NJC to thoroughly investigate Aderibigbe to keep intact the sanctity of the judiciary, adding that that the order granted by the judge had raised questions about court hierarchy, which the Council must provide answers to.