The ongoing local government crisis in Osun State has taken a new turn as Governor Ademola Adeleke and the All Progressives Congress (APC) clash over the Court of Appeal ruling on the local government crisis rocking the state.
Adeleke at a press conference on Sunday accused the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of colluding with security agencies to enforce a court order reinstating local government chairmen and councillors elected under the APC.
He alleged that it was an attempt to destabilise the state.
Meanwhile, Adeleke called on President Bola Tinubu to caution the current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, accusing him of attempting to create mayhem in state over the Appeal Court verdict on sacked local government in Osun.
Recall that a three-man panel of Justices of the Court of Appeal, Akure, Ondo State, on last Monday, delivered judgment on the sacked council chairmen and councillors across the local government areas of the state.
He said that there is a subsisting judgement of the Court that sacked the Chairmen and Councillors produced by the 2022 local government polls, urging Mr President to instruct the Attorney General of the Federation to personally verify the fact that the Court of Appeal judgement did not reinstate the sacked local government chairmen and councilors.
According to Adeleke, “I therefore appeal to Mr President who is a renown democrat to insist on the rule of law by instructing the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of DSS, the Commandant General of the Civil Defense Corps not to obey an illegal order from his nephew, Mr Gboyega Oyetola. The Osun State security chiefs should also be called to order.”
He said, “Let me affirm that I know Mr. President to be a true democrat, a lover of rule of law, and a believer in the sanctity of the judicial process. I know, as a matter of fact, that Mr. President will never authorise a dictatorial violation of the constitution irrespective of who is involved. It is crucial to add that Mr. President will never support any action that is capable of generating bloodbath and bloodshed.
“I, however, regret to inform Mr. President and the public that Mr Gboyega Oyetola has concluded an arrangement to cause mayhem in Osun state starting from Monday. He is issuing illegal directives to security operatives to enforce illegality simply because he is the nephew of Mr. President. I chose to alert the nation before my people are killed or maimed by a minister dropping the name of Mr. President in convenience with the Osun state security operatives obeying unlawful orders.
“The bone of contention is the brazen effrontery to return to office council chairmen sacked by a subsisting court Judgment using a different court decision, which has no consequential order. Let me make it clear that the said Council Chairmen were sacked before I was sworn in as governor of Osun State, contrary to the lies being peddled, that the Chairmen and councilors were sacked by my Executive Order.
“For emphasis, l want to state that I had nothing to do with the sacking of the chairmen and councilors produced by the Osun 2022 local government polls. The Chairmen and Councilors were sacked by two different judgments of the Federal High Court Osogbo. The script Mr Oyetola is playing is about the most reprehensible abuse of power in this fourth republic capable of untold and unforeseen consequences on the polity.
“The general public is aware that there were two different Federal High Court judgments on the local government election of 2022. The first judgment was on the suit filed by the People Democratic Party (PDP) which sacked the product of the 2022 polls. The second judgment was on the suit filed by the Action People Party (APP), which also sacked the Chairmen and Councillors produced by the said 2022 Osun Local Government polls.
“The APC appeal against the judgment obtained by the PDP was partially successful, and the said judgment was struck out based on the timing of filing, having been filed before the notice of election was published.
“It needs to be emphasised that the judgment contains no consequential orders. The APC in its amended notice of Appeal, asked the Court of Appeal to reinstate the sacked chairmen and councilors, but the Court of Appeal in its wisdom said it has become an academic exercise. The request for the reinstatement of the Chairmen and Councilors was not granted.
“However, the Appeal by the APC against the APP judgment did not succeed at the Court of Appeal, which makes the judgment still subsisting and alive. The Court of Appeal dismissed the APC appeal against the judgment obtained by the APP. The only legal recourse open to the APC is to appeal the APP judgment and the subsequent rulings of the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.
“The Certified True Copies of both judgements had earlier been forwarded to the Osun state Commissioner of Police, the State Director of DSS and the state Commandant of Civil Defense by the Osun state Attorney General for their information and records.
“The Certified True Copies of both judgments are in the public domain. The judgment of the Court of Appeal on the PDP case was not ambiguous whatsoever. It simply struck out the PDP suit and did not in any of its paragraphs order the reinstatement of the sacked council chairmen and Councilors.
“It is very clear that no consequential order was made because the APP case is still subsisting. As I stated earlier, the Court of Appeal said that the request for the reinstatement of the Chairmen and Councilors has become an academic exercise.
“We call on legal luminaries and the Nigerian Bar Association to fact check our claims by reading and interpreting the judgments. Even a layman can comprehend the meaning except those with an agenda to destroy the peace and progress of Osun state.” he added.
Earlier, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government under Governor Ademola Adeleke of planning to declare what the party called an ‘illegal’ public holiday to stop the stacked chairmen from resuming office.
In statement signed by APC Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, said that the Osun State Government should not feel too big to respect the sanctity of the Appeal Court judgment of 10th February, 2025 as it is valid and binding on all persons and authorities until same is set aside by the Supreme Court.
“The attention of the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has just been drawn to yet another media tactic being deployed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government under Governor Ademola Adeleke to continue to mislead members of the public in the State and beyond over his government’s continued disobedience to a valid Appeal Court judgment delivered on 10th February, 2025 that reinstated the lawfully elected local government officers.
“The appeal of APP that was dismissed by the Court of Appeal which PDP and OSIEC want to rely on was never heard on the merit and a motion to relist it for purpose of hearing and judgment like the one of 10th February, 2025 is still pending.
“It is only a very low brain that would refuse to state that the situation is very clear and straightforward. We are now using this medium to call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the DSS and all other security services that Governor Adeleke, Hashim Abioye and others in the same shoe must not be allowed to create crises where there is none.
“Our party is also aware of the clandestine move by the government and the PDP leaders to attack our party leaders and members from this night especially our Council Chairmen and Councillors to intimidate and suppress them from resuming their legitimate duties,” APC Osun said.
Meanwhile, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Osun State Council has directed all the civil servants across local government to withdraw their services over political uproar in the State.
The labour Congress, in a statement signed by its chairman, Dr. Christopher Arapasopo, said that they have noticed that the political uproar is cause for agitation and fear among its members working within the Local Government Areas across the state.
According to the statement, “The NLC is apolitical, but we won’t allow our members to work in an atmosphere of insecurity. We urge all the political parties and their members to abide by the rule of law.
“We insist on the rule of law to avoid a descent to anarchy. In furtherance to this, we hereby direct all our members working in all the GAs in Osun State to withdraw their services effective Monday, 17th February, 2025 by 12am (midnight).
“We won’t allow our members to return until their safety at work can be assured and guaranteed, which is their constitutional right. We hereby call on all security agencies to ensure the safety of all lives and properties within Osun State Local Governments and the public in general.
“The NLC Osun State remains committed to defending the rights, welfare, and safety of all its members,” the NLC noted.
