By: Thomas Abidoye
The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised an alarm over what it describes as a plot by Gov Adeleke’s Administration to incite chaos and unrest in the state.
In a press statement signed by the party State chairman, Sooko Lawal, on Monday, the APC called on the Presidency, the Inspector-General of Police, the DSS, and other security agencies to intervene immediately.
The party accused Gov Adeleke of flouting a February 10, 2025, Court of Appeal ruling that reinstated APC-elected local government chairmen and councillors.
The APC claimed that Adeleke’s defiance of the court ruling reportedly led to the killing of Hon. Remi Abass, chairman of Irewole LG, and five other APC members across the state.
Recall that APC condemned a recent local government election organized by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), describing it as illegal and a sham.
According to the statement, PDP candidates were declared winners in elections that allegedly never took place, and were later sworn in by Governor Adeleke.
The party further alleged that Adeleke has mobilized Amotekun Corps, thugs from other states, and cultists to enforce the takeover of council secretariats on April 15.
Part of the statement reads, “Over this period that the Court of Appeal judgement has been delivered, the third tier of the state government has been paralysed as Governor Adeleke has induced the local government council workers under the nomenclature of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to withdraw their services.
“It was in the midst of the political hullabaloos in the state that Governor Adeleke held a purported local government council election against the advice of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Lateef Fagbemi SAN and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, who counselled the governor against going ahead with any election as there were no vacancies for fresh elections and that the security report concerning the holding of the said elections was not favourable.
“What the state Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), under the chairmanship of Mr Hashim Abioye Esq, a known card-carrying member of the PDP did, was to concoct election results returning all the PDP candidates in the make-believe elections that never held.
“Governor Adeleke later swore in the illegally-appointed PDP council chairmen and councillors with fanfare with a directive to them to stay away from their respective local government council secretariats.
“Rather than go to the Supreme Court to appeal the Court of Appeal judgement of the 10th February, 2025, Governor Adeleke has been engaging in forum shopping, seeking pliable judges in the state High Court to purchase favourable judgement that would set aside the verdict of the Court of Appeal.
“It is stranger than fiction that a state governor could ever contemplate approaching a lower court to set aside the judgement of a superior court.
“In order to carry out his devilish wish on the state and the people, Governor Adeleke, it was reliably gathered, has succeeded in finding two amenable High Court judges who would rule against the Court of Appeal judgement of the 10th of February, 2025 by the way of granting an order of mandamus against Governor Adeleke to allow the illegally-elected PDP local government council chairmen and councillors to resume in all the local government council areas in the state.
“It was further reliably gathered that in order to make the resumption of the illegal council chairmen a reality, the Amotekun Corps leadership in the state has been put on a standby to work with non-state actors, daredevil imported thugs from the Niger Delta, from the Eastern part of the country, from Bauchi State, Lagos and Oyo states, to escort them to the council secretariats with maximum force and violence.
“Information also has it that a popular musician, who is an enabler of the political logjam in the state, has offered to unleash members of his secret cult to complement the nefarious political assignment to rock the peace of the state.
“Further investigation also revealed that the leadership of the PDP and some top political functionaries in the state had held meetings with the organized labour leaderships in the state, particularly of the Nigerian Labour Congress NLC, NULGE, Nigerian Union of Teachers and students’ unions extractions to form part of the team that would lead the illegally-elected council chairmen to the local government secretariats on the 15th of April, 2025.
“Our position as a party founded on the rule of law is not to breach the rule of law, thus disregarding any illegally-procured order or judgement from any kangaroo Court of Law, as it is widely known that a gentleman during a crisis may be tagged a fool.
“We are using this medium to appeal to parents and guardians in our state to warn their children and wards to refuse to be used by disgruntled and desperate politicians for any thuggery activities capable of throwing the state into avoidable pandemonium.
“It is needless to remind those who are shunning the Court of Appeal judgement that reinstated the APC council chairmen and councillors that they are spoiling for anarchy.
“This is the reason why it is expedient for the statutory security services not to treat the issue of security in Osun State with levity as what affects a part may have a debilitating effect on the whole.”
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