- PDP Chairmen Receive Certificate-Of-Return
Two sets of elected officials from two different political parties are set to resume at local government secretariats in Osun State on Monday.
The management of the third-tier of government in the state has been in contention in the last few weeks due to the February 10 Court of Appeal judgement that reportedly reinstated the hitherto sacked Yes/No chairmen and councillors elected on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) on October 15, 2022.
While the Federal High Court sacked the 2022 Chairmen in November of the same year, they approached the Appellate Court where they reportedly got the APC officials reinstated.
The Osun State Government, Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on its part opposed the opposition party’s claim, a move that led to yesterday’s local government election that produced all PDP Chairmen and Councillors.
While the disagreement led to the squabble that resulted in the loss of six lives during resumption at the councils by APC officials last Monday, the Yes/No Chairmen returned to the local government secretariats on Wednesday, stressing that they will continue work as they have been reinstated by the court.
OSUN DEFENDER also learnt that after their inauguration today, the newly elected Chairmen of the PDP extraction are expected to take office tomorrow.
The development has continued the week-long face-off between the two major political parties in the state.
Dismissing rumours that its Chairmen will not resume tomorrow, APC’s Director of Media, Kola Olabisi urged members of the party to continue the discharge of their duties, stating any other occupant of local government secretariats in the state are illegal.
The party also urged the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to be on standby and stop the PDP officials from resuming.
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Olabisi said, “Our attention has been brought to a fake news on the social media orchestrated by a supposed democratic state government stating that the leadership of the APC in Osun State has purportedly directed their elected local government chairmen and councillors not to resume in their various local government council areas tomorrow.
“We want to inform the authentic Court of Appeal-reinstated local government council chairmen and councillors that no such information came from the esteemed leadership of our party.
“It is the handiwork of the reactionary elements who thought they could realize their inordinate political ambition through the dissemination of fake story to confuse our focused elected council bosses and chiefs.
“We want to make it abundantly clear that it is imperative for the elected APC local government chairmen and councillors not to cease from resumption at their various local government council areas in order to continue to serve the deprived people at the grassroots level of government.
“The APC is a party founded on the rules of law which is the reason the Court of Appeal judgement given at the Akure Division, Akure, Ondo State, on the 10th of February, 2025, is the basic instrument of your reinstatement.
“We are not unaware of the fact that some disgruntled elements who are emboldened by the lawless government of the day in Osun State are planning to invade the local government council areas across the state.
“We would like to enjoin the state Commissioner of Police, the State Director of the DSS and the State Comptroller of the Civil Defence to be on watch out with a view to keeping peace in all the local government council areas in the state.
“It is also important to appeal to the parents and guardians across the state to warn their children and wards to desist from being recruited as political thugs by disgruntled and failed politicians who are hell-bent in disturbing the peace of the state.
“We are reinstating our statement again that there are no vacancies for elected offices at the local government council level in all the local government council areas in Osun State,” Osun APC said.
- PDP Chairmen Receive Certificate-Of-Return
Meanwhile, Chairmen elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have received their Certificate-Of-Return from OSSIEC.
Sadiat Isiaka, the commission’s Information Officer in a statement on Sunday said they were presented the document by the Chairman of the commission, Hashim Abioye.
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
