Olusegun Ariyo
The member representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Oluwole Oke, has publicly appealed to Governor Ademola Adeleke to stop what he described as blackmail against President Bola Tinubu, former Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Oke, who is a former member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accused Governor Adeleke’s administration of causing hardship for beneficiaries of local government administration in the state by allegedly refusing to implement a valid Court of Appeal judgment reinstating elected All Progressives Congress (APC) local government officials.
Oke, who said he had parted ways with the PDP due to Governor Adeleke’s refusal to heed advice, claimed that the governor’s legal team had misled him over the Appeal Court decision, which nullified the actions taken against the elected APC officials.
“I spoke to you and advised you on what to do on the Court of Appeal judgment reinstating elected APC council chairmen, vice chairmen, and councillors, but you ignored me,” Oke stated.
He added, “Only an illiterate lawyer will advise you contrary to what the Court of Appeal ruled, that PDP/OSSIEC approached the wrong court. What else do you need to hear, sir?”
According to Oke, the window for the state government to seek a stay of execution or approach the Supreme Court has closed, stating that the APC would not assist the government in pursuing an appeal at this stage.
He therefore urged Governor Adeleke to direct local government civil servants under the National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, to resume work and cooperate with the reinstated APC officials until the end of their tenure.
Oke further advised OSSIEC to issue a notice of fresh elections within 180 days or ensure the elected APC officials are compensated for the remainder of their three-year tenure.
In a conciliatory tone, Oke reminded the governor that both APC and PDP members are citizens of Osun State and deserve equal treatment and respect under the law.
He also expressed sympathy for PDP chairmanship aspirants who, according to him, spent heavily in the build-up to the aborted local government elections, with some reportedly selling property or borrowing funds to contest.
“Some borrowed owo isobo, sold their properties and are now suffering hopelessly,” he lamented.
Oke suggested that the affected PDP aspirants could be absorbed into his administration as Special Assistants (SAs) or Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) to mitigate their losses.
Meanwhile, the Osun State House of Assembly has said any attempt to release Local Government Areas (LGAs) funds into private individuals’ accounts amounts to an endorsement of impunity and a violation of due process, a move that could trigger serious consequences.
This warning formed part of the resolutions adopted by the Assembly in response to circulating reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is allegedly finalising plans to disburse LGA funds into private accounts.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, cautioned the CBN against proceeding with any such illegal disbursement if the reports are found to be true.
He emphasised that, according to the Nigerian Constitution, only the Director of Finance and the Director of Administration and General Services are recognised as authorised signatories to local government accounts.
He appreciated the Heads of Local Governments Administration (HLAs) for their support and tenacity.
In their various submissions, Lawrence Adeoti, Adewumi Adeyemi, Taofeek Olayiwola, Abiola Awoyeye, Laide Ajibola, Kofoworola Adewumi, and Tajudeen Adeyemi pointed out that the status of the local government in the state is worrisome.
They noted that some impostors went to local governments with ammunition to cause chaos in the state.
They added that there are laws guiding the local government and that their actions are unconstitutional.
They said the issue is not about a political party but the law, according to Section 7, Sub-section (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that “the House of Assembly of a State has the power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the State or any part thereof”.
The lawmakers explained that the Federal High Court in Osogbo had declared the local government election held on October 15, 2022, as unconstitutional, null, and void, and the Appeal Court, Akure Division, also dismissed it.
They said OSSIEC, which conducted the election, had withdrawn every Certificate of Return given to them.
They added that, “OSSIEC had conducted another election and winners have been declared, while Certificates of Return have been given to them, but they did not allow them to enter the local government because they were fully armed and people had to run for their lives.”
Adding its voice to the debate, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, in a statement by Kola Olabisi, the Director of Media and Information, berated the caucus of the Osun State PDP in the House of Representatives for acting as meddlesome interlopers on the issue of the reinstatement of the APC council chairmen and councillors.
Olabisi also advised the Osun PDP caucus to account for billions of Naira in constituency funds before dabbling in local government allocations.
Olabisi maintained that the Appeal Court judgment of February 10, 2025, reinstating the APC council chairmen was sacrosanct and binding.
