Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has accused his predecessor, Adegboyega Oyetola, of orchestrating a plot to create chaos in the state by allegedly attempting to enforce an unlawful reinstatement of sacked local government chairmen.
Adeleke, speaking at a press conference on Sunday, called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene, warning that the actions of Oyetola, now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, could lead to violence.
“I called this press conference to alert the national and global audience about a deliberate plot to create chaos and anarchy in Osun State,” Adeleke said. “This evil plot is being spearheaded by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, with active collaboration with the Osun State Commissioner of Police, the Osun State Director of DSS, and the State Commandant of the Civil Defence Corps.”
The governor alleged that Oyetola had given illegal directives to security agencies to enforce the reinstatement of local government officials who were sacked by court rulings. He insisted that their removal was based on judicial decisions and not his administration’s actions.
“For emphasis, I want to say that I had nothing to do with the sacking of the chairmen and councillors produced by the 2022 local government polls. The chairmen and councillors were sacked by two different judgments of the Federal High Court, Osogbo,” Adeleke explained.
He clarified that the Appeal Court ruling cited by the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not order the reinstatement of the dismissed officials. “The APC, in its amended notice of appeal, asked the court to reinstate the said chairmen and councillors, but the court of appeal, in its wisdom, said it had become an academic exercise,” he said, adding that the case filed by the Action Peoples Party (APP) remained valid and continued to uphold the officials’ removal.
Adeleke also criticised Oyetola’s alleged abuse of power, stating, “For a serving minister, in the person of Mr Gboyega Oyetola, to lead a charge to violate the constitution and foment violence over a judicial process is not only shameful but is sadism and treason taken too far.”
The governor further accused security operatives of colluding with Oyetola. “We have it on good authority that Mr Gboyega Oyetola has instructed the Osun State Commissioner of Police, the State Director for DSS, and the State Commandant of Civil Defence Corps to mobilise security operatives to effect this non-existing judgement by forcefully taking over the local government on Monday,” he alleged.
He urged President Tinubu to intervene, saying, “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 simply because he is the nephew of Mr President.”
Adeleke insisted that only a lawful process could determine local government control. “We vehemently reject any plot to deploy a non-existing court order to achieve local political power,” he declared.
He also called on legal professionals to scrutinise the court rulings, stating, “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.”
The governor concluded by warning that the public should hold Oyetola and security chiefs accountable for any breakdown of law and order in the state, adding, “As much as we do our best to maintain peace, we call on men and women of goodwill to intervene before it is too late.”
