Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has declared that the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Rivers State local government election confirms the illegality of the local government election conducted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State.
He stated that the ruling affirms that the election was conducted in violation of the Electoral Act and, therefore, remains null and void.
Governor Adeleke argued that the judgment reinforces the fact that there is no legal basis for the APC-backed local government chairmen, to continue occupying office.
He made this known while addressing the Council of Traditional Rulers at the Finance Building in Abere, Osogbo, where he reiterated his commitment to keeping the royal fathers informed about governance issues in the state.
He said, “In the case of Akure appeal court ruling, PDP has nothing to appeal against to the Supreme Court as there was no consequential order and as the court has directly ignored reinstatement request as mere academic exercise.”
“A Federal High Court removed them from office in October, 2022 while my predecessor was still in office. I took over in November, 2022. This fact is critical to understanding the development that followed.
“The Supreme Court ruling on Rivers local government election has clearly confirmed that the Osun Yes/No election was conducted in violation of the electoral act and therefore remains null and void. The latest judgement of the apex court affirm that there is no legal ground for the Yes/No chairmen to continue to illegally occupy the secretariats.
“Our royal fathers, you have all the facts before you. There is no reinstatement order as you can see. The Supreme Court judgement, in the case of Rivers State, validated the judgment of the Federal High Court, which sacked those elected in Osun state in violation of the electoral act,” Adeleke added.
In response, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, speaking on behalf of the traditional rulers, assured the governor that the royal council would not support any form of violence that could disturb the peace of Osun State.
“We are also not happy with the LG crisis in the state, we abhor violence and Osun is a peaceful state, a status that must be maintained irrespective of the issues in contention,” Ogunwusi said.
