‘Peaceful’ Monday In Osun As Stand-Off Over Control Of LGs Continues

Residents and citizens of Osun State especially the local government workers had a ’peaceful’ Monday, today as no incident was recorded at any location in the State of the Living Spring.

No ‘negative situation’ was recorded at the local government secretariats in the state especially during the ‘working hours’ on Monday, February 24, 2025, contrary to safety fears that had filled the air.

All eyes had been on Osun State as residents, citizens and other Nigerians had eagerly awaited scenes that will be enacted at the secretariats of local governments in the state today, Monday, February 24, 2025.

Recall that the stand-off over the control of local governments in Osun State had reached a very disturbing level last week Monday .

Hon Remi Abass, who was one of those elected as local government chairmen in 2022, and four other people lost their lives while several others were injured at different locations in the state.

What stood as the starting point for political tension in the state was the ruling delivered by the Court of Appeal, Akure, Ondo State on February 10, 2025.

Recall that the interpretation of the court ruling had sparked controversy.

Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC), the state PDP, the state APC, and other stakeholders in the State of the Living Spring had disagreed sharply on how to interpret the ruling in question.

 The court ruling was on the outcome of the local government elections conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) on October 15, 2022, and its connection with the local government elections that was held on Saturday.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,  Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, had joined the fray last week Thursday by urging the state government to support the restoration of the chairmen and councilors that were elected in 2022 to office.

Hon Odesola Oluseye Títus, who is the state Chairman of the Action Peoples Party (APP),  had however while presiding over  a press conference in Osogbo  last week Friday  accused Fagbemi of giving a biased advice  asserting that being a partaker in the last local government elections and the subsequent election cases, the leaders of the party are well-positioned to have an informed opinion on the issue.

He had added that the party would participate in the local government elections.

Recall that Osun State APC had also last week Thursday disclosed its decision not to participate in the local government elections in question.

The party did this in a letter sent to Secretary of the State Independent Electoral Commission which was dated February 17, 2025, and signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Alao Kamorudeen.

APC cited the Court of Appeal judgment of February 10 which it argued had reinstated the chairmen and councilors elected in 2022.

 A ruling that somewhat cleared the way for the conduct of the local government elections came through the Osun State High Court , Ilesa, last week Friday.

The court had ordered the State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) to go ahead with the local government elections.

In an enrollment order brought before Justice A. Aderigbigbe  by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against OSIEC and Its Chairman, Hashim Abioye, the court ruled that there was actually vacancy in the 30 local governments in the state as held by the Federal High Court.

The court ruled that the election conducted by the first defendant on October 15, 2022, had been invalidated, nullified and voided, and those who were elected have been sacked by the Federal High Court.

Local government elections were eventually held in the state on Saturday, and it had since produced new executive chairmen and councilors in the state.

Recall that Osun State APC had however on Saturday evening asserted that the local government elections held earlier in the day was boycotted by the people of the state while accusing the electoral body of being ‘partisan’.

The party in a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com by its spokesman, Mr Kola Olabisi also disclosed that those who were elected as chairmen and councilors in 2022, would be at their respective offices today, Monday, February 24,2025.

Governor Ademola Adeleke had on Sunday presided over the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected local government chairmen in the state but however advised them to stay away from the local government secretariats at least for now.

This apparently doused the smouldering fire as the 2022 chairmen and councilors took control of the local government secretariats in the state on Monday ‘unchallenged’.

The local government workers were not involved as the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had directed members, who are local government workers, to stay away from local government secretariats across the state.

The state NLC had issued a statement in this respect by its chairman, Dr Christopher Arapasopo  last week which was reechoed in the fresh statement that was issued on Sunday.

‘The Osun State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) strongly affirms her earlier release notifying all Local Government Area Workers in the state to withdraw their services as a result of the political upheaval within their workplaces  that still subsist, while continuing in their prayers for the state.

This release further reiterates that our member’s safety at workplaces is of high priority, and we will not allow our members to work in an atmosphere of insecurity.

The Osun State Council of the NLC remains resolute in its commitment to defending the rights and interests of workers and the masses. We shall not be cowed or intimidated by these desperate attempts to silence us. We stand firm in our resolve to uphold justice, fairness, and the rule of law in our beloved state’ the NLC said

In the meanwhile, the state APC and Governor Ademola Adeleke’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed have disagreed on who should be commended for avoiding face to face clash which had helped to ensure peace at the local government secretariats in the state today.

The state APC described the governor’s directive to the new local government chairmen to stay away from the local government secretariats as deceitful alleging that he has rather concluded plans to attack the chairmen and the councilors produced by the 2022 local government elections through the Amotekun Corps and non-state actors imported into the state from Oyo State and the Niger Delta.

The party added that the directive in question is a mere smokescreen as the governor and his party are ‘hell-bent on fomenting trouble’ while they will however put the blame on the doorstep of  ‘the legally-recognized and reinstated chairmen’.

APC has also accused the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, former Senator Bala Muhammed and Oyo State governor, Mr Seyi Makinde of being among those planning to stoke crisis and inflame Osun State in order to ‘criminalize and demonize President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’. 

Osun State APC in a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com  on Monday by its spokesman, Mr Kola Olabisi accused the state government of planning to import Niger Delta militants into the state.

The militants, the party added, would wear security uniforms, abduct opposition members and intimidate citizens, creating an atmosphere of fear and chaos.

‘These militants are the same criminals notorious for kidnapping people for ransom in their region, and they have now been drafted to the state to unleash terror on our people.

To provide cover for this sinister move is the Amotekun Corps, led by a controversial ex-police officer and former Chief Security Officer to Governor Ademola Adeleke, retired  CSP Adekunle Omoyele. The Amotekun Corps officers are to provide hooded cloths and mask in order to hide their identities and escape justice after perpetrating their evil acts’ the statement said..

‘We call on the people not to take Governor Adeleke seriously. That has been his antics. He will issue a peace-prone directive and at the end would be promoting violence underground. 

This was the same strategy adopted during the verdict of the election petition tribunal in 2023 as well as the event of last week where no fewer than six members of the APC were bludgeoned to death following the judgment of the Appeal Court reinstating the chairmen and councilors.

We call on the citizens of the state, particularly the workers and traders to be vigilant not to be victims of these hoodlums in the name of politics while urging the security agents to be at alert and double efforts to protect the people of the state’ the party added.

Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson , Mallam Olawale Rasheed however asserted on Monday that his boss should be commended for the efforts to keep the peace .

Governor Adeleke , he added, has proven to be ‘a crisis manager with an eye on public peace and prosperity, hence the sustenance of peace across the state despite the evil plot of anarchists within the opposition’.

He also described as ‘libelous and defamatory” allegations of importing thugs into the state adding that it is ‘a baseless concoction without any iota of truth’.

‘From the beginning of the face off, the governor, being a security expert and a criminologist had deployed his skills of conflict resolution to sustain peace even with the worst of provocations. The mapping of the entire state revealed that the opposition APC was mainly interested in burning the state down and destroying the elected political structures. Mr Governor smartly denied the APC the fuel for its arsonist plan.

The outcome is the peace we are enjoying today in Osun State. Osun people are peacefully running their lives with huge gratitude to the governor. The APC on the contrary is in severe pain because all its destructive plans against Osun and her people have failed.

So, the opposition resorted to blackmail and name calling. Neither the visiting governors nor our Chief of Staff imported any hoodlums into the state. Governors Seyi Makinde and Bala Muhammed came to Osun on a solidarity and peace mission based on their statutory positions within the Governors’ Forum and their message was that parties to the face off should abide by the rule of law and avoid illegal self help.

The Peoples Democratic Party lost five of its members on Monday with about 85 sustaining serious gunshot and cutlass injuries.

The governor immediately ordered PDP members to stay away from the local government secretariats and avoid retaliatory attacks. He repeated the directive to elected local government chairmen, vice chairman and councilors yesterday during the swearing -in ceremony. Governor Adeleke is a peace- loving leader with full backing of the Osun people to continue to deliver  good governance.

We hasten to remind the APC that the public is aware of its stock in trade as a party of sickening fake news with huge electoral deficit and widely confirmed unelectability attribute’ he added-Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you