Adeleke Swears In Newly-Elected Osun LG Chairmen

…PDP, Govs Hail Adeleke, Osun People Over LG Poll

…Don’t Truncate Democracy, Makinde Warns APC

…APC Says Poll Disgraceful Sham, Illegal, Unconstitutional

ABUJA / IBADAN – Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State on Sunday swore-in the new­ly-elected council chairmen in the state, warning them and their coun­cilors to stay away from the council secretariats “to avoid any clash with those whom the police had aided to forcefully occupy the local govern­ment secretariats”.

The governor stated this during the inauguration ceremony for the elected chairmen.

“I urge you and your councilors to please stay away from the council secretariats to avoid any clash with those whom the police had aided to forcefully occupy the local govern­ment secretariats.

“An Osun State High Court had affirmed the vacancies in both the chairmen and councilors positions in all of Osun State local govern­ments before your election on the 22nd February 2025. We will, there­fore, rely on the judiciary to ensure a peaceful removal of those illegally occupying the local government secretariats.

“Please be patient and always abide by the rule of law. I congrat­ulate all newly elected council chairmen and councilors. You have the mandate to deliver good gover­nance in your respective local gov­ernments.

“I charge you to develop plans of action within the manifesto of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). As our government is transforming the state for the better, I call on you to be agents of change, community devel­opers, and deliverers of dividends of democracy.”

PDP, Govs Hail Adeleke, Osun People Over LG Poll

Meanwhile, the Peoples Dem­ocratic Party (PDP) and its gover­nors have congratulated Governor Ademola Adeleke, the government and people of Osun State for the suc­cessful conduct and outcome of the Saturday, February 22, 2025 local gov­ernment area election in the state.

While the PDP described the election as a resounding triumph of democracy, the rule of law and the constitutional principle of true feder­alism, the governors under the aegis of PDP Governors’ Forum said that good stewardship won the people’s mandate.

PDP, in a statement by its spokes­man, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said, “The success and outcome of the free, fair, transparent and credible local government election conduct­ed by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) is a resounding triumph of democ­racy, the rule of law, constitutional principle of true federalism and the will of the people of Osun State over the All Progressives Congress (APC) anti-democratic forces that sought to illegally and forcefully take control of their state.”

The party hailed the people of Osun State for the courage in as­serting their sovereignty and con­stitutional right by coming out en masse to vote in the election despite the vicious attempt by the APC to intimidate them and subvert the democratic process.

The PDP further asserted that its sweeping victory across the 30 local governmentareasinthestateinspite of the machinations of the APC is in further demonstration of PDP’s political supremacy in Osun State, the South West geo-political zone and across the nation.

“Moreover, the PDP’s over­whelming victory in the election comes as the people’s response to the outstanding achievements of Gover­nor Adeleke in his massive delivery of life-enhancing infrastructural, citizen empowerment and human capital projects in all critical sec­tors including power, healthcare, education, road construction, water resources, agriculture and food pro­duction, among others, in line with the manifesto and policy thrust of the PDP,” the party said.

The PDP congratulated and chargedthenewlyelectedOsunState local government chairmen and councilors to be guided by Governor Adeleke’s vision so that the people at the grassroots will continue to enjoy the dividends of his people-first poli­cy direction in governance.

The PDP Governors’ Forum, in a statement by the Director General, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo, applauded the PDP for its victorious outing at the polls, adding, “It is a well-deserved victory after a good fight both for Gov. Adeleke, the party – PDP, Osun State, democracy and the indisput­ability of good stewardship in public service.

The Forum urged the Osun gov­ernor to ensure that the elected LG chairmen and councilors are mag­nanimous in victory and should work towards enthroning a culture of tolerance and promotion of peace in order to consolidate on the unity and peace so far enjoyed among the Osun people.

“Having verified the enormous transformation projects by Gov Adeleke’s administration on the Osun landscape backed with capac­ity development and empowerment programmes for the grassroots people across various sectors, espe­cially for the youths and women, we are confident that Senator Adeleke will certainly lead the elected LGC officers to embark on maximis­ing all opportunities in delivering life-changing dividends of democ­racy to the indigenes and residents of their respective LGAs; albeit to affirm that the trust of the people in our great party, PDP, is justified. To us, the election was a referendum on Adeleke’s leadership and acceptabil­ity in Osun State.”

Don’t Truncate Democracy, Makinde Warns APC

Again, the Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to truncate democracy by resorting to self-help on local government admin­istration in Osun State.

The governor gave this warning on Sunday, during the swearing-in of the 30 newly-elected local govern­ment chairmen, stating that the APC should not exploit federal might to truncate democratic processes.

He congratulated the newly-elect­ed chairmen, charging them to deliv­er dividends of democracy to their people and justify the confidence reposed in them.

Governor Makinde, who was in Osogbo with the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum chairman and governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed, said they were in attendance at the swearing-in event in solidarity with the Osun State gov­ernor, Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke.

Makinde noted that the APC could have a court judgment, it should follow the due process to im­plement such judgment and not go through the back doors or unlawful means, adding that lovers of democ­racy would not want a resort to vio­lence, which made the South-West earn the appellation of ‘Wild Wild West’ in the past.

He said: “Let me congratulate the newly-minted chairmen and chairpersons of all the 30 local gov­ernment areas of Osun State.

“Don’t forget the promises you made to the people during your cam­paign. This is an opportunity for you to deliver to the people at the grass­roots level. My prayer is that with the support of your governor and the state government, you will deliver.”

APC Says Poll Disgraceful Sham, Illegal, Unconstitutional

Again, the APC has not only condemned the Osun State local government election conducted by Governor Ademola Adeleke, but de­scribed it as disgraceful sham, illegal and unconstitutional.

Listing why the election should not have been conducted, the APC also warned that Governor Adeleke must remedy the flagrant breach of his oath of office.

The APC, in a statement by its spokesman, Felix Morka, said, “The purported last Saturday’s fresh election conducted by Governor Adeleke and his PDP is nothing but a disgraceful sham, illegal, unconstitu­tionalandviolentlycontemptuousof the valid and subsisting judgment of the Court of Appeal, and of no effect whatsoever.

“The exercise was a reckless waste of public funds, and an ir­responsible incitement to further violence in an already volatile atmo­sphere in the state.

“We urge Governor Adeleke to immediately end his illegal and anti-democratic push for fresh local government election, and abide by the valid judgment of the Court of Appeal in the matter.”

Warning the governor of the implication of what he did by con­ducting the election in flagrant dis­obedience to the court, the APC said that federal allocation will only be available to democratically elected local government.

“In keeping with the rule of law, it is our expectation that the Federal Government will make federal allo­cation for local governments avail­able only to democratically elected and judicially certified local govern­ment officials in Osun State,” APC cautioned.

The party noted that Osun local government election was conducted in wanton disregard to the rule of law.

The statement reads: “In wanton disregard for the rule of law, and a valid and subsisting judgment of the Court of Appeal, Governor Ademo­la Adeleke of Osun State conduct­ed what he purported to be a local government election in the state on Saturday, February 22, 2025.

“Recently, the otherwise peace­ful Osun State has had its peace violently disrupted by Governor Adeleke and his Peoples Democrat­ic Party’s stubborn refusal to respect the judgment of the Court of Appeal handed down on February 10, 2025, which effectively reinstated elected local government officials that were sacked by Governor Adeleke’s execu­tive order pursuant to a judgment of a Federal High Court of November 25, 2022, which nullified the election that brought the local government officials into office.”