Osun N’Assembly Caucus Condemns ‘Criminal’ Takeover of LGs’ Secretariat By APC 

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Osun State Caucus of the National Assembly has condemned the criminal takeover of the local governments’ secretariat across Osun State by the sacked officials who were members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

There had been tension in the state over plans by the APC to implement the judgment of the Court of Appeal reinstating the sacked local government chairmen elected in 2022 at the twilight of former governor, Gboyega Oyetola’s administration.

The caucus, led by the Deputy Senate Minority Leader, Lere Oyewumi, while addressing a press conference on Monday in Abuja, said having observed the breaking of law and order in the last few hours, the address became imminent and indispensable for them as representatives of the people.

He said: “We use this medium to condemn the brazen effrontery of the sacked local government council officials to return to office notwithstanding the yet-to-be-set-aside decision of the Court of Appeal, Akure, against their return to the office.

“Today (Monday), the people of Osun woke up to a criminal takeover of the local government secretariat across Osun State by these sacked officials who forcefully broke into the premises of the councils, aided by thugs and hooligans who have been shooting sporadically, wreaking havoc on the people of the state, thereby breaking law and order. 

“Sadly, this is being perpetrated with the support of some security personnel, relying on a different court judgment, despite a subsisting court judgment which upheld the nullification of their purported election.”

The caucus recalled that the state Governor, Ademola Adeleke, had in his world press conference of Sunday, February 16, 2025, appealed to President Bola Tinubu to rein in on the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola and his alleged attempt to influence the security forces in the state to perpetrate the illegal and forceful takeover.

The caucus further recalled  that there were two different Federal High Court judgments on the said local government election of 2022.

It said one of the judgments was on the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which sacked the products of the 2022 local government polls, while the other judgment was on the suit filed by the Action Peoples Party (APP), which equally sacked them. 

It added that the two cases were filed differently, at different times and in the exercise of the fundamental rights of each of the political parties to challenge the propriety or otherwise of the local government polls so conducted in the court of competent jurisdiction.

It noted that though APC appealed the Federal High Court judgment obtained by the PDP on the case, while the Court of Appeal, Akure, on February 10, 2025 struck out the judgment earlier obtained by the PDP at the Federal High Court on technical/jurisdictional ground that the originating process of the PDP was filed before the notice of election was published by Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC). 

The caucus noted: “The Court of Appeal, which equally lacked the jurisdiction to determine the merit of the suit based on the lack of jurisdiction by the Federal High Court refused to go into the merit of the case and made no order reinstating the sacked local government chairmen and councillors. 

“However, the appeal by the APC against the favourable judgment obtained by the APP at the Federal High Court was dismissed by the same Court of Appeal, Akure, on the 13th day of January 2025 for lack of diligent prosecution which makes the judgment of the APP still subsisting and alive. 

“Thus, the subsisting judgment of the APP affirms the sacking of these officials and APC is bound by the same. It is important for us to establish that the suits filed by the PDP and the APP were not consolidated at any point in time and the judgment obtained in one cannot affect the other.”

It said interestingly, the APC realises the serious implication and the binding effect of the judgment in favour of the APP at the Court of Appeal against it as a party and therefore returned to the Court of Appeal to re-open the appeal of the party which was dismissed on January 13, 2025. 

It said the APC needs to wait till the appeal on the judgment of the APP is finally determined by the apex court and should stop blowing hot and cold at the same time.

The caucus said: “It is inexplicable that the APC which is pursuing the judgment of the APP at one hand is also seeking illegal execution of another judgment on the other hand. 

“We are aware that these dastardly acts are being carried out under the directives of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola and some notable leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state in active collaboration with the heads of security agencies in the state, namely: the Commissioner of Police, the Director of State Security Service, and the state Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

“This is an invitation to anarchy and it has broken law and order in the state, thereby causing chaos and mayhem which has threatened the relative peace being enjoyed by the good people of Osun State under the stewardship of the peoples’ governor, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke.

“These desperate acts contradict common sense in view of the fact that there is a local government election scheduled for Saturday 22nd of February to which the APC has purchased forms, conducted primaries and actively engaged in campaigns in the last couple of months.”

The caucus added that this desperate act in connivance with security agents was taking its toll as scores of PDP members, local government workers, and other innocent persons have been shot, brutalised and harassed by APC thugs and security men in the last few hours.

The caucus, therefore, condemned these unfolding acts of state capture through violence, usurpation of constituted authority, abuse of federal power and gross rascality by  Oyetola.