APC praises Osun residents for shunning LG poll

• Says reinstated chairmen will return to council on Monday

From Lateef Dada, Osogbo

The Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended residents of the state for boycotting the Saturday local government election, which it described as “illegal.”

A statement by the Director of Media and Information of APC, Kola Olabisi, stated that the reaction of residents to the ‘charade’ promoted by the government is a testimony that the people of the state are law-abiding, democratic, and decent for standing with the rule of law.

Olabisi, who disclosed that the reinstated chairmen would return to the council on Monday to continue their stay in office as duly recognised chairmen, promised that the people of the state will enjoy grassroots government.

The opposition APC stated that the resolve of Osun citizens to stay away from the ‘sham’ election has further canonised them as true men and women of virtue who take a premium in equity, fairness, and justice as the foundation of any democratic development.

“We are glad with the conduct of the citizens and residents of Osun the way and manner they deserted what we can best be described as ‘naming of imbeciles’ called election today. We monitored the exercise and we are so excited the way the people boycotted the process.

“Everything failed the unpleasantly partisan OSSIEC today. Elections did not take place in most parts of the state. In some pockets of places like Ede, the hometown of the governor, where the electoral commission had to save face, everything was shambolic. Apart from dubious arrangement where no material was distributed to any OSSIEC local government offices, the security also exposed them how ballots papers were pre-thumbprinted and stuffed before they even got to the selected polling units.

“As if that was not enough, there was also an absence of voters register at the few polling units where they staged an electoral drama, including the polling unit of the governor, where the number one citizen of the state voted without any accreditation.

“We sympathised with the people of the state for another loss of life reported in Irojo, Ilesa, and wastage of our collective resources on needless and cosmetic election that is inconsequential as it is legally settled that there is no vacancy in Osun Local Government Administration as expressly stated by the Appeal Court in Akure on February 10, 2025.

“We equally commended the security agents, particularly the Police and Department of State Services for standing firm on the side of the law and for taming the Peoples Democratic Party violence and brigandage.

“However, we demand for proper investigation of the unidentified young man that was allegedly shot dead in Irojo, Ilesa and those arrested with guns in Boripe Local Government Council Area among others.

“It is regrettable that despite the advice from security agencies that the election should be put on hold, the OSSIEC ignored the wise counsel, a development that led to security breach,” APC said.