* asks IG to hold osun APC responsible for violence *national assembly caucus urges tinubu to caution ex-governor
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned the sacked Osun State Local Government Chairmen and Councilors to perish the thought of forcing themselves back into office as such will amount to a futile venture with dire consequences.
The PDP in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, also charges the All Progressives Congress (APC) to accept the reality and end its resort to self-help, misrepresentations, vituperations, violence and killing with the aim to trigger crisis and destabilize the State, having realized that it has irredeemably lost.
The PDP asserts that the fate of the ousted Local Government Chairmen and Councilors was sealed by the Judgment of the Court to Appeal which nullified the unconstitutional attempt by the then Governor Gboyega Oyetola to illegally plant them as Local Government officers in the guise of an election.
According to Ologunagba, having been roundly rejected by the people of Osun State in the Saturday, July 16, 2022, governorship election, the then Governor Oyetola and the APC ought to have known that attempting to side-step the laws and manipulate the process to illegally foist APC members and apologists as Local Government Chairmen and Counselors was an exercise in futility which was bound to fail ultimately.
“The APC is the architect of its misfortune. It should have known that disregarding and refusing to comply with the provisions of the Constitution and the Osun State Local Government Election Laws with respect to the requirement on notices, processes and procedures of conducting local government election is destined to be fatal and irreparable.
“We counsel the Osun State APC to stop playing to the gallery by trying to bring in the exulted office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria into disrepute by hopelessly dropping the President’s name at public spaces in their desperate but pathetic and unrealizable attempt to garner undeserved sympathy.
“The APC should note that our nation operates a federal system of government with clearly entrenched devolution of powers among the federating units as well as the various sub-national tiers of government. It should therefore desist from the fruitless attempt to drag President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government into the issue of local government election which, under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), is within the purview of the State and has no connection whatsoever with the Federal Government,” he said.
He, however, noted that if the APC believes that it is truly popular in Osun State as it claims, it should rather get ready for election as already scheduled by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) instead of holding unto an imaginary strand of straw and instigating violence and killings in the State.
“Our Party strongly condemns the violence and killing of some youths today by APC thugs and calls on the Inspector General of Police to hold APC leaders in Osun State responsible and bring them to book for this heinous crime.
“The PDP calls on the people of Osun State to remain calm, law-abiding and get ready for the Local Government Election as they continue to support Governor Ademola Adeleke in his outstanding delivery of monumental life-enhancing projects and programs in the State,” Ologunagba added.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Caucus in the National Assembly has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the growing political crisis in the state by directing the National Security Adviser and the Inspector General of Police to restore law and order immediately.
The ongoing crisis stems from conflicting interpretations of a Court of Appeal judgment regarding the sacking of elected local government chairmen in the state.
The appellate court recently nullified an earlier judgment of the High Court, which had ruled that the tenure of the local government chairmen was illegal. However, the court did not make a consequential order reinstating them.
The caucus warned against the threat of political thugs destabilizing Osun State, stressing that the situation was rapidly deteriorating and could lead to widespread violence if not urgently addressed.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the leader of the Osun caucus in the House of Representatives, Bamidele Salam, cautioned against what he described as a dangerous attempt by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to forcefully take over local government councils in the state.
Salam spoke on behalf of other members of the Osun National Assembly caucus including Sen. Akogun Olalere Oyewumi (Deputy Senate Minority Leader), Sen. Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi, Sen. Olubiyi Fadeyi Ajagunnla, Bamidele Salam (Osun House of Reps Caucus Leader), Busayo Oluwole Oke, Taofeek Abimbola Ajilesoro, Clement Akanni Olohunwa, Soji Adetunji, Adebayo Morufu Adewale, Mudashiru Lukman, Lanre Oladebo and Sanya Omirin.
He urged the President to advise the APC leadership in Osun to abandon what he termed an illegal and futile mission.
Salam argued that the ruling did not grant the APC-backed officials any legal right to reclaim their offices.
“Aside from the Appeal Court decision nullifying the High Court judgment in the PDP’s case, the appellate court also dismissed a similar suit filed by the APC concerning the Action Peoples Party. The APC had abandoned the case, and as such, no ruling was given in their favor,” he said.
Despite this, he alleged that the former council chairmen, whose election was previously nullified, had forcefully reoccupied the councils.
According to him, this move, rather than being legally justified, was a desperate attempt to take control of the councils even though the APC has already chosen to participate in fresh local government elections scheduled for February 22, 2025.
The caucus further alleged that the forceful takeover of the local government secretariats had led to violent clashes across the state.
PDP members and local government workers in several councils—including Isokan, Boripe, Boluwaduro, Ayedaade, and Ilesa were reportedly attacked, with security agents allegedly aiding some of the aggressors.
Salam expressed concern that the situation could escalate into full-blown anarchy, as law and order had already begun to break down in various parts of the state.
“What we are seeing now is a direct invitation to chaos. Political thugs, emboldened by certain forces, are attempting to take the law into their own hands, and if this is not curtailed immediately, Osun State will descend into crisis,” he said.
Reports indicate that on Monday, several people were injured in different local government areas as clashes erupted between APC and PDP supporters. The affected councils include Ayedaade, Boripe, Osogbo, Olorunda, Ila, Isokan, Irewole, Obokun, and Atakumosa.
The caucus also alleged that at Boripe Local Government, PDP members holding a meeting were attacked by a group that included armed policemen and political thugs.
“At Boluwaduro Local Government, a notorious thug known for his allegiance to the APC allegedly led assaults on PDP members, shooting sporadically across major towns in the area,” Salam said.
He further alleged that at Ayedaade Local Government, an APC-affiliated group shot a PDP member dead, leaving several others wounded.
At Ilesa East, he said that PDP supporters were attacked with machetes in a brutal attempt to seize control of the local government secretariat.
The caucus alleged the complicity of security agencies in the forceful takeover of local government offices. Salam accused security personnel of taking sides in the political crisis, enabling the violent invasion of council offices.
“This is clear evidence that these illegal activities are being carried out with the support of some security personnel.
“Despite a subsisting court judgment affirming their removal, these officials, aided by thugs, have been allowed to return to office unlawfully. The role of security agencies in this unlawful occupation raises serious questions about their neutrality and commitment to upholding law and order,” he said.
Salam alleged that the Minister of Blue and Marine Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of masterminding the takeover of the local government secretariats across the state in connivance with security agencies.
He warned that any continued interference by security forces would only deepen the crisis and further threaten peace in Osun State.
The caucus called on President Tinubu to take decisive action to prevent further escalation of violence in the state.
“We are calling on Mr. President to direct the Inspector General of Police to immediately restore law and order in Osun State,” Salam said.
He also urged the President to instruct the National Security Adviser and the Attorney General of the Federation to properly advise the APC leadership in Osun on the futility of their actions.
“It is imperative that those who seek to unlawfully seize control of local government councils be reminded of the legal consequences of their actions,” he added.
The caucus reaffirmed its support for the Osun State Government, which is led by Governor Ademola Adeleke, stating that the ongoing local government election process should be allowed to proceed without unlawful interference.
The caucus maintained that the removal of the previous council chairmen was legally justified, as their election was conducted in violation of the 2022 Electoral Act.
“It is baffling that the same APC which has purchased forms, conducted primaries, and actively campaigned for the upcoming local government elections is now attempting to forcefully reinstate its sacked officials. This contradiction underscores the lawlessness of their actions,” Salam said.
The caucus emphasized that the continued unrest couldAseembly lead to a full-scale crisis if left unchecked.
“We want to make it clear that as representatives of the people, we stand firmly by the Osun State Government in defense of democracy and the rule of law,” he said
