I remain authentic chairman of Ede South LG – Afolabi

The Chairman of Ede South Local Government Area of Osun State and Secretary of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state, Hon. Lukman Afolabi, has insisted that he remains the duly elected and authentic executive chairman of the council.

Afolabi made the assertion while featuring on a current affairs programme, Oro Ton Lo, aired on Fresh FM, Osogbo, on Thursday.

The council boss accused the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and former governor of Osun State, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, of allegedly working to destabilise governance in the state.

He criticised what he described as Oyetola’s continued interference in state affairs, stressing that the former governor’s four-year tenure had ended and that Osun residents had since moved on.

According to Afolabi, any former governor who fails to respect the end of his mandate and continues to interfere in another administration’s affairs poses a threat to peace and democratic stability.

Reaffirming his position as the legitimate chairman of Ede South Local Government, Afolabi dismissed rival claims to the office as illegal, fake and politically motivated, describing the situation as an unprecedented and desperate plot in the history of governance in Osun State.

He challenged the individual he referred to as the self-acclaimed “Yes/No chairman” to come out openly and present himself before traditional rulers, chiefs, Muslim and Christian leaders in Ede South to publicly declare himself as executive chairman, if he truly has the legitimacy he claims.

The development comes amid rising political tension in the state. On Wednesday, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, reported Oyetola to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to caution the minister over alleged actions capable of fuelling crisis at the local government level.

Governor Adeleke accused Oyetola of backing the continued occupation of local government secretariats by sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) officials with police support, a move he said undermines democracy and the rule of law in the state.