The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State has urged the presidency to declare a state of emergency in the state.
The party in a statement signed by Kola Olabisi, the Director of Media and Information, cited a total collapse of governance at the grassroots level for the reason for the call.
The party claimed that Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration has rendered local governments non-functional.
The party which compared Adeleke’s governance to that of Rivers State’s suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara said, “There is no infraction that Fubara was accused of that Adeleke is not guilty of.”
The party also alleged that governance in Osun State is being run by proxy, with the governor’s siblings exerting undue influence.
“The governor’s family has hijacked the administration, making decisions that should be left to elected officials.”
The Osun APC accused Governor Adeleke of attempting to remove the Chief Judge of the state through unconstitutional means in 2023, leading to the closure of state-owned courts for months by the Osun State chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN.
“Even in the midst of political turmoil, Rivers State did not experience such a blatant disregard for judicial independence,” the statement added.
The party criticised Adeleke’s handling of traditional rulers, claiming he removed many simply because they were appointed by his predecessor, former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and it being a political witch-hunt disguised as governance.
The party also condemned Governor Adeleke’s alleged refusal to comply with a February 10, 2025 Court of Appeal judgment reinstating the APC-backed local government chairmen and councillors.
It also accused Adeleke of inciting violence against the reinstated officials, which allegedly resulted in the death of Remi Abass, a local government chairman in Irewole local government council area and his alleged role in electoral violence during the 2022 and 2023 elections
According to the statement, “Instead of upholding the court ruling, the governor has chosen to ignore it entirely. His words and actions emboldened his supporters to take the law into their own hands,” APC stated.
“The bloodshed that accompanied 2022 governorship and 2023 general elections remains fresh in the minds of Osun people,” the statement noted.
APC also accused the governor of sacking thousands of workers employed by the previous administration, including teachers and health workers and also condemned the billions of Naira spent on the local government election conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, OSSIEC.
“For three years, he has deprived these people of their livelihoods without remorse.
“The just concluded local government election was a wasteful exercise that ignored the directives of the federal government.”
The party further accused Adeleke of crippling the third tier of government by preventing local government workers from performing their duties, leading to the alleged collapse of local government administration which has caused distress for residents.
“He has turned his Ede residence into the new power centre, sidelining legally reinstated officials.
“Students, job seekers, and those needing identification letters cannot access essential local government services.”
The Osun APC while arguing that the government’s actions have paralysed local governance and justified the declaration of an immediate state of emergency, described the situation as a direct attack on democracy, and accused Adeleke of using state resources to sponsor opposition to reinstated APC council officials.
“There is no functional local government structure under this administration. Osun State has never had it this bad. Emergency rule is the only way to restore governance,” the statement asserted.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Government in an earlier statement had condemned the call for emergency rule in the state.
Following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent imposition of a statement of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday, the APC National Secretary, Senator Basiru had urged President Tinubu to consider a similar measure in Osun, citing Governor Ademola Adeleke’s alleged defiance of an Appeal Court Judgment reinstating APC-affiliated local government chairpersons.
In a swift rebuttal, the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, issued a statement condemning Basiru’s suggestion as callous and unlawful.
Alimi asserted that the situations in Rivers and Osun were fundamentally different and accused the APC of attempting to destabilise the state for political gains.
Alimi further alleged that the APC lacked the political support to challenge Governor Adeleke in elections, leading them to seek power through undemocratic means.
Referencing recent incidents where APC members attempted to enforce non-existent court judgments to reinstate their local government officials, Alimi claimed the actions nearly plunged the state into chaos.
