By: Thomas Abidoye
A civil society group, The Osun Masterminds, has slammed Governor Adeleke and the All Progressives Congress, APC over the paralyzed local government activities in the state due to a political crisis.
Speaking during its monthly press conference in Osogbo on Friday, the group’s Executive Director, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, said local councils are not functioning due to political interference and the failure of newly sworn-in local government chairmen to assume their duties.
The coalition called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to prioritize a peaceful resolution of the conflict by seeking legal clarifications from the courts or collaborating with the Attorney-General of the Federation to address the impasse.
He said, “We regret to continue seeing needless brickbats between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State. We do not live in a banana republic, and such critical issues of governance cannot be resolved with press releases. No matter the sentiments that both parties beat up on the issue, the fact remains that the Local Governments are crippled and this is against the principles of democracy.
“We call on the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, to take steps that are in the best interest of the State’s development, and preservation of the rule of law. Such steps may include collaborations with the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, or request for clarifications from the Court of Appeal that delivered the controversial judgment, or an approach to the Supreme Court for interpretations or invalidation of the controversial judgment.
“We also call on Local Government Employees to rethink their involvement in the imbroglio, so that they do not continue to be active participants in the crippling of the Local Governments. The leaders and stakeholders of NULGE should liaise with and seek clarifications from relevant authorities instead of endlessly abandoning work.”
On the Ifon-Osun, Ilobu, and Erin-Osun communal clash, Oyedokun-Alli condemned the crisis, describing it as “shameful and unfortunate.”
He expressed disappointment over the state government’s slow and inadequate response to the crisis, despite eventually setting up Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.
The coalition urged the state government to engage past governors, royal fathers, and other stakeholders to find sustainable solutions to the crisis.
He also called on federal legislators representing the affected communities to take responsibility by involving the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief for displaced persons.
According to him, “It is shameful, sad, and unfortunate that in 2025, in a State like Osun where a lot of people are educated, we are still experiencing bloody communal clashes of the kind that recently happened between Ilobu and Ifon-Osun communities, with Erin-Osun also joining the crisis at some point.
“We have also observed that the State Government’s emergency response has been very slow, though recent actions of sitting up IDP camps is commendable. It is equally important that the 2 federal legislators wake up to their repsonsibilities by bringing the presence of NEMA to the plights of the people of the warring communities among other measures.
“We advise that Government consults past Governors, Royal Fathers, and important stakeholders in the State to seek their input. The Committee that the Government set up seem to not be delivering efficiently on its mandate and this must necessitate a change of approach to some more decisive steps.”
Oyedokun-Alli also decried the delay in recruiting teachers and health workers, saying it threatens the development of education and healthcare in the state. They warned that continued neglect of manpower needs would hinder the state’s progress.
He urged the government to expedite recruitment processes to address manpower shortages in schools and health centers.
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