Osun APC Accuses LG Service Commission Of Illegal Phone Searches, Demands Committee’s Disbandment

Osun State APC has accused the Governor Ademola Adeleke administration of victimizing, oppressing and dehumanizing ‘a sizeable number of the state government workers’ based on their perceived political leaning in the governorship election held in the state on August 15, 2026..

‘Information has it that the state local government service commission under Mr. Tunji Adeleke Jnr’s  chairmanship has inaugurated a committee saddled with the responsibility of fishing out the local government workers across the state who gave their support for the opposition APC party during the election in question.

It was gathered that the affected local government workers are being invited to face an investigative and disciplinary panel at its venue at the local government council commission, state Secretariat, Abere, Osun State.

It was also learned that the affected local government staff were pointedly instructed to bring their mobile phones to the investigative and disciplinary panel which were subjected to rigorous and detailed searching with a view to finding out any likely communications between the invited local government workers and any member(s) of the APC before and during the governorship election.

Part of the terms of reference of the panel is also to find out any of the members of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees(NULGE) who might be operating an account with the United Bank for Africa(UBA) which the Governor Adeleke-led administration is having issues with over the federal allocations belonging to local governments.

Tongues are wagging across the state and beyond among the right-thinking members of society as to the justification behind the action of any arm of government to have subjected its staff to victimization, dehumanization and oppression because of their political belief.

 We are of the opinion that it is not proper for Governor Adeleke to have converted the workplace of some of the affected local government workers to an uncomfortable arena where political loyalty is being questioned alongside official duties’ Chief Kola Olabisi, who is the party’s spokesman, submitted in a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com on Tuesday..

He also alleged that several council workers have been invited to appear before the government officials in Osogbo, where they were questioned about their political activities and subjected to scrutiny over their banking transactions while also drilling them and seeking to know if they voted for the APC during the governorship election or not.

‘Their mobile phones were also examined, with particular attention reportedly paid to alerts and transactions involving United Bank for Africa (UBA).

The workers alleged that the exercise was intended to identify those suspected of supporting the APC or maintaining relationships with APC-backed local government officials.

It was also gathered that some of the council workers were threatened with dismissal, suspension or other forms of disciplinary action because of their perceived political affiliations’ the statement added.

 The party called for the disbandment of the Disciplinary committee while asking the local government service commission to ‘immediately reactivate all the local government staff accounts that have been deactivated for salary payment’.

 ‘It is our belief as a party that the news that  mobile phones of workers and bank alerts are being examined to establish their political affiliations raises an important question on the nexus between legitimate administrative investigation and political surveillance.

It is beyond the constitutional authority of any tier of government to punish its staff for exercising their political choice at the ballot box as Nigeria’s electoral system is based on the principle of secret voting. Consequently, establishing how an individual voted is not ordinarily something that can simply be determined by inspecting a person’s phone or bank statement.

It is saddening that the Governor Adeleke-led government could choose the needless intimidation of the local government employees who occupy positions that ordinarily require continuity of service regardless of which political party controls government based on their political choice.

We urge Governor Adeleke to immediately reactivate all the local government staff accounts that have been deactivated for salary payment and put a stop to this sadistic approach to governance by dismantling the obnoxious committee that is acting ultra vires, and subsequently embarrassing his administration among the comity of other forward-moving states in Nigeria’ the party 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 08035023079,  08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you