The Transparency Centre Network (TCN) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to enforce the Court of Appeal judgement ordering the removal of unauthorised occupants from Osun local council secretariats and to restore lawful governance at the grassroots.

At a press conference in Abuja yesterday, TCN Executive Director Comrade Ayuba Ahmed urged the Inspector-General of Police to comply immediately with the court’s ruling by expelling all unauthorised persons from the council secretariats. Ahmed warned that failure to act within the ultimatum would prompt a nationwide protest led by TCN to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) in Abuja.

The group also called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to mobilise the legal community to defend the judiciary’s authority and urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to intervene where the rights of lawfully appointed council officials are suppressed. Ahmed appealed to the international community to monitor what the group described as an egregious undermining of judicial integrity.

“We shall mobilise democratic forces across the country—civil society, student unions, professional associations, and everyday Nigerians—to demand justice and defend the integrity of our judiciary,” Ahmed declared.

TCN criticised the continued occupation of Osun local council secretariats by purportedly elected APC officials, despite the Court of Appeal’s judgement nullifying the elections conducted by the previous administration. The group accused the officials of defying the judiciary and plunging Nigeria’s constitutional order into chaos.

“This impunity is not just shameful—it is unconstitutional, criminal, and unsustainable,” TCN stated, aligning with legal luminary Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), who had described the situation as a dangerous threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

TCN reminded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and AGF Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) of their constitutional duty under Section 287(2) of the 1999 Constitution to obey and enforce court decisions, regardless of political convenience.

Ahmed emphasised that the issue extends beyond Osun State, warning of the collapse of democracy if court orders are continually disregarded.

“This will not be a mere symbolic protest. It will be a full-scale, peaceful demonstration to remind those in power that Nigeria belongs to all of us. We will not fold our arms and allow political actors to convert our local councils into illegal outposts of political conquest,” Ahmed stated.