- Action Of Your Sacked Members Criminal – PDP
The battle for control of local governments in Osun State took a dramatic turn on Monday, as the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) traded fierce accusations over the legality and authority of council leadership across the state.
In a press statement signed by its chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, the APC accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of “perfecting an arrangement to plunge the state into monumental chaos” by refusing to comply with the February 10 Court of Appeal judgment that reinstated the sacked APC local government council chairmen and councillors.
“The refusal of the PDP-led administration in Osun State to abide by the said judgement… led to the killing of one of the reinstated local government council chairmen, Hon Remi Abass, and no fewer than five other members of our party,” the statement claimed.
Lawal further alleged that Governor Adeleke had “induced” local government workers under the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to withdraw their services, effectively crippling the third tier of government.
“In the midst of this political hullabaloo, Governor Adeleke held a purported local government election against the advice of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Inspector-General of Police,” Lawal said. “What the state electoral commission did was to concoct election results returning all PDP candidates in elections that never held.”
The APC also accused the governor of “forum shopping,” claiming he is “seeking pliable judges in the state High Court to purchase favourable judgement that would set aside the verdict of the Court of Appeal.”
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In what it described as “a stranger-than-fiction scenario,” the party said Adeleke had allegedly “succeeded in finding two amenable High Court judges” to grant an order of mandamus that would allow PDP council chairmen to resume duties in defiance of the appellate court’s ruling.
The statement also contained disturbing allegations that Adeleke had “put the Amotekun Corps on standby” to escort the “illegally-elected council chairmen” to their respective secretariats, supported by “daredevil imported thugs from the Niger Delta, Eastern Nigeria, Bauchi, Lagos and Oyo States.”
“Information has it that a popular musician, who is an enabler of the political logjam in the state, has offered to unleash members of his secret cult to complement the nefarious political assignment to rock the peace of the state,” Lawal added.
He warned that the APC “will not disregard any illegally-procured order or judgement from any kangaroo court,” and called on parents “to warn their children and wards to refuse to be used by disgruntled and desperate politicians for any thuggery activities.”
In a swift response, the Osun State PDP condemned the APC for what it described as “an unrepentant display of ignorance and deliberate violation of the law.”
In a statement signed by Hon. Oladele Bamiji (HOB), Director of Media for the party, the PDP maintained that “no court order in Nigeria reinstated the sacked council chairmen.” He described those parading themselves as reinstated chairmen as “impostors.”
“In the eyes of the law, those who paraded themselves as reinstated local government chairmen are impersonators, as the ‘yes-or-no’ kangaroo election remains sacked,” Bamiji stated.
He accused the former council officials of returning to office to “steal from the people,” adding that their issuance of state-of-origin certificates and collection of market levies “under whatever guise is not only criminal but a gross insult to the sovereignty of the people.”
“The question is whether the real reason for APC’s illegal invasion of the council secretariats was to steal from the people, extort the already hard-pressed population and turn the local government into a den of financial brigandry,” he added.
Bamiji emphasized that “Osun is not a lawless state,” and warned the alleged impostors to desist from their actions. “Let it be known that no individual, no matter how politically deluded or legally ignorant, can usurp the will of the people or desecrate the sanctity of our local government system,” he said.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
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