Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and the All Progressives Congress are at loggerheads over allegations of a plot to destabilise the state following a court ruling on the local government crisis rocking the state.
At a press conference on Sunday, Adeleke accused the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of colluding with security agencies to enforce a court order reinstating local government chairmen and councillors elected under the APC.
He described the move as an attempt to create unrest in the state, allegedly leveraging Oyetola’s familial ties to President Bola Tinubu.
“I called this press conference to alert the national and global audience about a deliberate plot to create chaos and anarchy in Osun State.
“I invite you all to expose a fascist, anti-democratic agenda designed to enforce a non-existent court judgment on our local governments,” Adeleke stated.
He argued that the ruling lacked a consequential directive and could not override a previous judgment that led to the officials’ removal before he assumed office.
“The bone of contention is the brazen effrontery to reinstate council chairmen sacked by a subsisting court judgment using a different court decision, which has no consequential order.
“Let me make it clear that these officials were removed before I was sworn in as governor, contrary to claims that they were dismissed by my Executive Order,” he added.
Adeleke insisted that President Tinubu would not support any unconstitutional act that could threaten peace in Osun State, urging the Federal Government, the judiciary, and the public to intervene before the situation escalates.
In response, the Osun APC dismissed Adeleke’s allegations as an attempt to evade legal procedures, advising him to approach the Supreme Court if dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal’s judgment.
Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, denied that Oyetola had issued any illegal directives to security agencies, accusing Adeleke of resorting to blackmail instead of legal recourse.
“Oyetola has not instructed anyone, including security chiefs, on how to do their job. Adeleke should know that blackmail or sentiment will not change the court’s decision,” Olabisi stated.
He argued that the APC-led local government officials were unjustly removed in 2022 and had now been lawfully reinstated through the courts.
“The court has spoken, and those affected by Adeleke’s actions have been left out in the cold for too long. Now that justice has been served, as the leader of the Osun APC, Oyetola is committed to ensuring the ruling is implemented,” he added.
Olabisi insisted that the APC would remain law-abiding but would also ensure that the court’s verdict was upheld.
“Court of Law has spoken, and the verdict must be obeyed. So, he should stop this blackmail because that will not work here. As for us in APC, we will remain law-abiding, but we won’t sleep on our right,” he concluded.
