APC LG chairmen take over Osun councils, declare accounts frozen

• Warn Adeleke, OSSIEC against ‘illegal’ LG election

• PDP, HoA allege plan to assassinate Adeleke, take over Osun

• We are in possession of valid court judgment – APP

From Lateef Dada, Osogbo

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has finally taken over local governments in Osun State and ordered the immediate freezing of various council accounts.

The Chairman of Ifedayo Local Government, Hon. Abiodun Idowu, who doubles as the ALGON chairman in the state, warned Governor Ademola Adeleke and others in charge of council resources to steer clear of public funds, saying, “Any form of illegal transaction will have consequences.”

Speaking with journalists in Osogbo, Idowu warned the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) to shelve the planned local government election, noting that there is no vacancy in any of the 30 councils for them to fill.

He applauded President Bola Tinubu for his exemplary leadership and strict adherence to the rule of law, just as he hailed the high sense of professionalism and commitment exhibited by the security agencies in the state.

Idowu, who reassured their readiness for good governance at the grassroots, said, “Having returned to office, we want to reaffirm our commitment to serving our people more, and our social contract to create jobs and wealth for the teeming youth of the state will be implemented without compromise.

“All our chairmen will work assiduously to create value chains in the agricultural sector so that food security will be ensured in our state. We will devote attention to mechanised farming so farmers across the state will have a new lease of life. We are aware of the shortage of teachers in our schools and health professionals in all our health centres and facilities. We declare to fill this shortage in no distant time.

“We have met as an association and concluded that the 1,500 teachers and over 2,000 health workers employed by the APC government of HE Adegboyega Oyetola but who were sacked on the assumption of office by Governor Ademola Adeleke will be reabsorbed into the system.

“Since their salaries and emoluments are statutorily charged from the Local Government Allocation, we hold that bringing them back on board to render essential services to the people of the state will not halt or hinder the progress of governance in the state.

“We know government exists because of the people, and it is our responsibility as leaders of governments at the local level to prioritise the welfare and well-being of the citizens. The modalities for the re-absorption of the 1,500 teachers and over 2,000 health workers will be communicated to the concerned employees in due course,” Idowu said.

Daily Sun reports that the APC had taken over Atakumosa West, Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Obokun, Ifelodun, Orolu, Ejigbo, Ife East, and some others in the morning.

Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged plans by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to kill Governor Ademola Adeleke and take over the state.

The state chairman of the PDP, Sunday Bisi, at a press conference on Wednesday, said the plan by the IGP to prevent the Saturday local government election from holding has been exposed.

He said, “Mr. Egbetokun’s deliberate deployment of Special Forces under him to escort some miscreants into the local government councils in the state was nothing but a blatant coup and obviously one out of the many mapped-out plans to assassinate the Governor of our dear State, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, whose instruction to restore peace and order as the Chief Security Officer of Osun State was flagrantly violated by Mr. Egbetokun.

“We understand that His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has been interfacing with Egbetokun, with the sole aim of ensuring peace after the fatal fracas on Monday, occasioned by forceful attempts by the sacked chairmen and councillors purportedly elected on the platform of the opposition APC before the advent of the PDP administration in the state.

“The whole world must warn and prevail on Mr. Kayode Egbetokun to desist from being an enabler of orchestrated attempts on the life of our Governor. These plans, we want to emphasise, have been on the cards of the APC in Osun State since the good people of Osun State voted them out of office in 2022.

“The desperation to get rid of Mr. Governor and take over the state through whatever means possible has been rife and clear enough since the APC was shut out of government in Osun.

“We are not unaware that the desperation of Mr. Egbetokun and his APC cohorts is ultimately to prevent the local government election from holding in Osun State on Saturday, 22nd of February 2025.

“We are aware that Mr. Egbetokun is ready to bend all the rules, aid and abet killings of Osun people, especially members of the ruling PDP, as we witnessed on Monday, but the IGP should be told in clear terms that he will fail,” Bisi said.

The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Adewale Egbedun, on Wednesday said the recent events in the state suggested that elements within the police force may have compromised their neutrality.

He thereby appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and President Bola Tinubu to intervene urgently before democracy is trampled upon.

Addressing journalists at the assembly, Egbedun disclosed that the opposition party in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC), forcefully broke into local government secretariats across the state, describing the action as a direct attack on democratic institutions and a clear violation of the rule of law and threat to public peace and order.

“Even more disturbing is the fact that security agencies, who are meant to uphold the law, were present while these illegal acts were being carried out. This is unjust, unlawful, and unacceptable. Law enforcement agencies must never be seen aiding and abetting criminal activities.

“We want to make it abundantly clear that this state will not succumb to political banditry and unconstitutional actions. Every individual found guilty of orchestrating or participating in this lawless takeover will be brought to book and held accountable under the full weight of the law,” Egbedun said.

He said the assembly condemned any form of lawlessness, violence, or forceful occupation of government institutions, saying that the Federal High Court’s judgment remains binding and must be respected by all parties until set aside by a competent court.

“We had anticipated that external pressures might attempt to manipulate security agencies in Osun State, but we never expected that such compromises would emerge this early. We thought these forces would at least wait until the next gubernatorial election before making their moves, but instead, they have chosen to destabilise our state prematurely.

“The Osun State House of Assembly is not unaware of the close relationship between Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, the former Governor of Osun State and the current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, and the Inspector General of Police. However, while personal relationships may exist, the security of Osun State must never be sacrificed on the altar of friendship at the expense of the rule of law.

“No individual, no matter how highly placed, should manipulate security agencies to serve political interests at the expense of peace and stability. The police must not allow themselves to become a tool for political subjugation or a shield for those violating the law,” Egbedun said.

On the local government election slated for Saturday, Egbedun urged the electorate to troop out en masse and freely exercise their democratic right to vote for their preferred candidates, vowing that “no amount of intimidation, violence, or political desperation will stop the democratic process.”

Meanwhile, the Action Peoples Party (APP) has described the invaders of local governments in Osun State as looters and impostors, insisting that it possesses the valid court judgment on the matter.

The state chairman of the APP, Odesola Titus, in a statement on Wednesday, maintained that the taking over of local governments by the ‘ousted’ council chairmen and councillors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is illegal, and it is against the rule of law and the constitution of Nigeria.

He insisted that the APP is in possession of a valid court judgment, in a suit filed against the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), which was delivered on November 30th, 2022, at the Federal High Court, Osogbo, in favour of the party.

He recalled that the APP had challenged the 2022 election on the ground of non-compliance with the 2022 Electoral Act as well as OSSIEC guidelines with respect to the notice of election given by the commission.

“Anyone calling themselves elected chairmen or councillors in Osun State today is an impostor. By virtue of the favourable judgment that nullified the October 2022 LG election, the seats of chairmen and councillors across Osun State are deemed vacant. More so, that those who appealed the judgment abandoned it, and the Court of Appeal subsequently dismissed the appeal for want of prosecution.

“So those that went to the council today are looters, and we as a party strongly condemn such illegal actions. We hereby call on security agencies to immediately arrest and prosecute these impostors,” he added.

On the claims by the APC chairmen and councillors that the Court of Appeal had overturned the decision of the Federal High Court and as such, they are to return to office, Mr. Odesola said, “This is a misunderstanding of judicial procedure and the rule of law. Our case against OSSIEC and, by extension, the conduct of the 2022 local government election, and that of the PDP, are two different cases. While we are aware that the Appeal Court overturned the PDP case, we are also aware of the implication of the abandonment and subsequent dismissal of the APC appeal against our favourable judgment.”