Politics
Osun LG Crisis: Newly elected chairmen, NULGE drag APC ‘reinstated’ chairmen to court
The newly elected local government chairmen and councillors in Osun State have approached the Osun State High Court of Justice, Ikirun Division, on the resolution of the ongoing logjam created by what they described as “illegal occupation” of the various council secretariats by the All Progressives Congress (APC) “reinstated “local government chairmen and councillors produced by the administration of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola in 2022.
Recall that shortly after the declaration of results of February 22, 2025 local government elections in Osun State by Barrister Hashim Abioye led Osun State Independent Electoral Commission( OSSIEC), which produced the elected chairmen and councillors, the “reinstated” local government chairmen embarked on a forceful occupation of all the local government secretariats throughout the state.
This development could have caused serious rancor with the “constitutionally elected chairmen and councillors but after their swearing in, Governor Ademola Adeleke directed them not to go to their various councils in order to prevent the state from being subjected to serious political upheavals.”
This was contained in a release issued and signed by the state commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi and made available to newsmen in Osogbo on Wednesday.
According to Alimi, the forceful takeover by APC “reinstated” chairmen and councillors constitutes an illegality.
He said the elected chairmen and councillors in Osun State have approached the court of law so as to get the “illegal” Chairmen ejected from the various Council secretariats forthwith, in line with the dictates of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria .
Joined in the suit are the Inspector-General of Police; the Commissioner of Police, Osun State Command; the Director-General; DSS and Commandant General of NSCDC.
The matter has been adjourned to the 15th of April, 2025 for further hearing, while the court has granted the prayer for substituted service.
In the same vein, pursuant to the importance of maintaining law and order aimed at particularly insulating their members from harm, which could brew up at any time while performing their official duties as local government employees, Osun State chapter of National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has equally instituted a lawsuit in the Ilesha Division of Osun State High Court of Justice over the forceful invasion and illegal occupation of the local government secretariats by the “Yes/No local government chairmen and councillors of Oyetola led administration in Osun State.”
The ground of the suit is premised on the need to get the “Yes/No Chairmen and Councilors ejected, as their forceful occupation, among other factors, constitute a threat to the entire local government workforce under the umbrella of NULGE in all the council secretariats in the state at the moment.”
The matter has equally been adjourned to the 17th of April, 2025 for hearing, with substituted service also granted accordingly.
In the meantime, Governor Ademola Adeleke, on behalf of the State Government and good people of Osun State, has again sued for calm and restraint by all means, pending when the usurpers in the various local governments under the guise of being the chairmen and councillors of the unconstitutionally conducted Yes/No elections, will be sent packing by the Court of law, in all the local governments of the state.