The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised alarm over what it describes as an impending crisis, accusing the state government of planning to install officials elected in the February 21 local government elections into council secretariats across the state.
The party warns that such a move could lead to significant unrest.
Speaking on behalf of the APC leadership in Osogbo, former Osun Information Commissioner Mr. Sunday Akere claimed that Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration was attempting to carry out this takeover through a court order.
Akere, accompanied by other APC leaders, including former Osun House of Assembly member Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, ex-Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Adebayo Adeleke, and former Special Adviser to the Governor Jamiu Olawumi, revealed that the government is seeking a ruling from an Osun State High Court in Ikirun on April 17, 2025, to facilitate the alleged plan.
According to Akere, the government intends to replace the APC chairmen and councillors, who were reinstated by the court, with officials elected under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
He warned that the involvement of the Amotekun Corps and alleged thugs could provoke widespread chaos if this plan proceeds.
In response, Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, dismissed the APC’s accusations, describing them as blackmail.
Rasheed claimed that the APC was nervous about the potential fallout over their illegal occupation of local government secretariats.
He noted that the APC is currently facing multiple lawsuits related to the alleged invasion of these secretariats, including cases filed by the PDP’s elected officials from the February 21 elections, the National Union of Local Government Employees, and the All Peoples Party, which accused the APC of contempt of court for defying a judgment that dismissed APC-elected chairmen from the October 15, 2022, local government elections.
Rasheed clarified that Governor Adeleke had no intention of pursuing any legal action but had instructed the PDP-elected chairmen and councillors to respect the rule of law and avoid violence.
However, Akere reiterated his concerns, claiming that the government’s alleged plan to bring PDP chairmen back into the local government secretariats could lead to renewed unrest. He called the move a “judicial coup,” suggesting that it would be backed by Amotekun Corps and thugs.
“The governor’s plot involves illegally installed council chairmen and councillors, accompanied by absent workers, which could cause chaos across Osun State,” Akere said.
The APC has also filed a petition with the National Judicial Council, accusing the Adeleke administration of judicial misconduct.
In response, Rasheed dismissed the APC’s threats of violence, labeling them as baseless. He asserted that the APC’s actions were merely attempts to avoid the legal consequences of their unlawful occupation of the local government councils. Rasheed urged the APC to focus on their ongoing legal challenges rather than involving the governor in what he called the party’s “self-imposed and self-inflicted” troubles.
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