PDP Defifies FG, Sweeps Osun LG Poll

…Election Held Amid Tension
…Atiku Hails Governor Adeleke

OSOGBO – The Peoples Democrat­ic Party on Saturday won all the chairman­ship and councillor­ship seats in the 30 local gov­ernment areas of Osun State.

This came from the Chair­man of the Osun State Inde­pendent Electoral Commis­sion, Hashim Abioye, who made this known at a press conference on Saturday in Osogbo, the state capital.

Also, Abioye said operatives of the Nigeria Police Force arrested staff of the commis­sion who were on election duty across the state.

Abioye made the claim in a video posted on the com­mission’s official X page on Saturday.

He later noted that the elec­toral exercise was peaceful and successful despite what he called “false alarm” raised by some persons.

“So far so good, the reports have been positive and the con­duct has been very smooth and peaceful as against the false alarm raised by the police. Everywhere is calm,” Abioye said.

He added: “The only thing is that in some of the areas in which materials are supposed to have arrived for voters to cast their votes, we had re­ports of police arresting our officials.

“I don’t know on whose or­der because there is no court order that warranted the ar­rest of officers of our officials.

“As it is, we have deployed materials to those units be­cause we have enough on the ground.

Reporters who monitored the election in some local gov­ernments reported that there was no presence of ad hoc staff of the State Independent Electoral Commission in some polling units visited.

According to emerging reports, although Governor Ademola Adeleke ordered the restriction of vehicular movement from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. across the state, this was not complied with as there was free vehicular movement with­out any form of restriction, al­though there were some road­blocks along the major roads by the police.

Shops, markets and other shopping malls were under lock and key.

In Ede, the home town of the governor, the situation was a bit different as voters were seen in some of the polling units visited with OSSIEC and ad hoc staff attending to them.

Pre-Election Uncertainties

There had been palpable tension in the state following the government’s insistence on holding council elections on Saturday.

The government’s action followed a recent crisis over the legality of the state’s 30 lo­cal government councils.

It would be recalled that a few days ago, about six people were killed and many injured over the protracted crisis when people suspected to be political thugs took over the local gov­ernment secretariats to un­leash mayhem on the people.

The crisis arose over the state government’s insistence on holding elections in the Local Council Development Authorities (LCDAs) it created.

Despite heavy deployment of armed soldiers and anti-riot policemen as well as other se­curity operatives to the state, the local government election went on smoothly.

This was against the advice of the Federal Government through the Attorney Gen­eral of the Federation (AGF) and the warning of the police authorities not to conduct the elections.

However, as early as 7am, voters had started trooping to their various polling units and accreditation of voters and voting commenced in most of 335 polling units of the state.

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Also election materials ar­rived on time without hitches, as 12 political parties regis­tered with the electoral body, including the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, the Labour Party suddenly withdrew from the election in the dying minutes, while the APC candidates did not show up.

Governor Ademola Nuru­deen Jackson Adeleke insisted that the election must hold on Saturday.

Adeleke had, in a state broadcast on Friday, main­tained that the local govern­ment election would hold as planned under the supervision of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OS­SIEC).

However, the Osun State chapter of the All Progres­sives Congress (APC) accused Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration of undermin­ing the Appeal Court judgment that reinstated elected local government officials.

In a statement issued on Sat­urday, APC’s Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, criticised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government for its continued disregard for the February 10, 2025, Appeal Court ruling that reinstated APC’s elected local government chairmen and councillors.

The party alleged that Adeleke’s government misled the public by pushing a narra­tive that a previous ruling from a lower court sacking the offi­cials, should override the Ap­peal Court’s decision.

Atiku Hails Adeleke For Defy­ing FG

Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, had, at the commencement of the poll on Saturday, commended the Osun State governor, Ademo­la Adeleke, for going ahead to conduct the local government election.

In a post via his official X handle on Saturday, Ati­ku called for a peaceful and hitch-free election and urged security agencies and elector­al officials to perform their duties with the highest sense of responsibility to the public.

He wrote: “As residents in Osun State go out to the polls today to elect council chair­persons, I once again urge for a peaceful and hitch-free exer­cise.

“The local council election is the heartbeat of a demo­cratic system, given that its outcome impacts closely on the lives of the citizens.

“I commend Governor Ade­mola Adeleke for going ahead with the exercise and urge security agencies and polling officials to perform their du­ties with the highest sense of responsibility to the public.”

The Federal Government, through the Minister of Jus­tice, Lateef Fagbemi, and the Nigeria Police Force, had called for the suspension of the elec­tion in the state based on cred­ible intelligence obtained.

In a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, the police said the credible intelligence indicates a high likelihood of violence and significant secu­rity threats should the planned council election be held in the state.

However, the Osun State government rejected the secu­rity advice from the Nigeria Police Force, which called for the suspension of the elec­tion.

In a statement signed late Friday by the Commissioner for Information and Public En­lightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the state government stated that the grounds for rejecting the advice were based on the rule of law and aversion to police partisanship.

The state government also accused the police of pursuing partisan interests rather than obeying court orders and work­ing against the rule of law.