By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, alleged on Sunday, that there was plot to unleash violence on the state on Monday (today) by some federal officials.
He accused the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, of spearheading the move in active collaboration with the Osun State Commissioner of Police, the Osun State Director of the Department of State Service (DSS) and the state Commandant of the Civil Defence Corps.
The governor, who raised the alarm at a press conference in Osogbo, on Sunday, said the Nigerian public should hold Mr Oyetola and the Osun State security chiefs responsible for any breakdown of law and order in the state, on Monday, and beyond.
He alleged: “It is unfortunate that the Osun State security chiefs are taking instructions from Mr Gboyega Oyetola just because he is the nephew of Mr. President.
“As much as we will do our best to maintain peace, we call on men and women of goodwill to intervene before it is too late.
“Let me affirm that I know Mr. President to be a true democrat, a lover of rule of law, and a believer in the sanctity of the judicial process. I know, as a matter of fact, that Mr. President will never authorise a dictatorial violation of the constitution irrespective of who is involved. It is crucial to add that Mr. President will never support any action that is capable of generating bloodbath and bloodshed.
“I, however, regret to inform Mr. President and the public that Mr Gboyega Oyetola has concluded an arrangement to cause mayhem in Osun state starting from Monday. He is issuing illegal directives to security operatives to enforce illegality simply because he is the nephew of Mr. President. I chose to alert the nation before my people are killed or maimed by a minister dropping the name of Mr. President in connivance with the Osun state security operatives obeying unlawful orders.
“The bone of contention is the brazen effrontery to return to office council chairmen sacked by a subsisting court Judgment using a different court decision, which has no consequential order.
“Let me make it clear that the said council chairmen were sacked before I was sworn in as governor of Osun State, contrary to the lies being peddled, that the Chairmen and councilors were sacked by my Executive Order.
“For emphasis, l want to state that I had nothing to do with the sacking of the chairmen and councilors produced by the Osun 2022 local government polls.The chairmen and Councillors were sacked by two different judgments of the Federal High Court Osogbo.
“The script Mr Oyetola is playing is about the most reprehensible abuse of power in this fourth republic capable of having untold and unforeseen consequences on the polity.
“The general public is aware that there were two different Federal High Court judgments on the local government election of 2022. The first judgment was on the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which sacked the product of the 2022 polls. The second judgment was on the suit filed by the Action People Party (APP), which also sacked the Chairmen and Councillors produced by the said 2022 Osun Local Government polls.
“The APC appeal against the judgment obtained by the PDP was partially successful, and the said judgment was struck out based on the timing of filing, having been filed before the notice of election was published.
“It needs to be emphasized that the judgment contains no consequential orders.The APC in its amended notice of Appeal, asked the Court of Appeal to reinstate the sacked chairmen and councilors, but the Court of Appeal in its wisdom said it has become an academic exercise. The request for the reinstatement of the Chairmen and Councilors was not granted.
“However, the Appeal by the APC against the APP judgment did not succeed at the Court of Appeal, which makes the judgment subsisting and alive.
“The Court of Appeal dismissed the APC appeal against the judgment obtained by the APP. The only legal recourse open to the APC is to appeal the APP judgment and the subsequent rulings of the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.
“The Certified True Copies of both judgements had earlier been forwarded to the Osun state Commissioner of Police, the State Director of DSS and the state Commandant of Civil Defense by the Osun State Attorney General for their information and records.
“The Certified True Copies of both judgments are in the public domain. The judgment of the Court of Appeal on the PDP case was not ambiguous whatsoever. It simply struck out the PDP suit and did not in any of its paragraphs order the reinstatement of the sacked council chairmen and Councilors.
“It is very clear that no consequential order was made because the APP case is still subsisting. As I stated earlier, the Court of Appeal said that the request for the reinstatement of the Chairmen and Councilors has become an academic exercise.
“We call on legal luminaries and the Nigerian Bar Association to fact check our claims by reading and interpreting the judgments. Even a layman can comprehend the meaning except those with an agenda to destroy the peace and progress of Osun state.
“In a democratic society governed by the rule of law, we all must submit to the law. If we are dissatisfied with the outcome of a court process, we can appeal to the next court to end at the Supreme Court. If you are not sure of the meaning and intent of a court judgment, the system expects you to apply for interpretation again through the court system.
“It is illegal, unconstitutional, and anti-democratic to take the law into your own hands. For a serving minister, the person of Mr Gboyega Oyetola to lead the charge to violate the constitution and foment violence over a judicial process is not only shameful but is sadism and treason taken too far.
“We have it on good authority that Mr Gboyega Oyetola has instructed the Osun State Commissioner of Police, the state Director of the DSS and the state Commandant of civil defence corps to mobilise security operatives from within Osun to effect the non existent judgement by forcefully taking over the local governments on Monday.
“Mr Oyetola and the police boss have been holding a series of meetings on how to effect the illegal operations.
“We affirm that Mr Gboyega Oyetola has no constitutional authority to issue directives to the security agencies.
“The fact that Mr Oyetola is nephew of Mr. President does not confer any such authority on him.
“We see this as a gross betrayal of trust reposed in the Osun state security officers by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I want to state that the current nefarious activities of Mr Oyetola and bosses of Osun security agencies constitute grave incitement.
“These need to stop because we are neither interested in resorting to self-help nor in support of violence to resolve political matters. As much as we are law-abiding people, we are fierce protectors of our rights, at night and by the day.
“I want to place on notice the Nigerian Public, and our friends in the diplomatic community and the lovers of democracy and rule of law that our people will not accept any attempt to impose illegality and anarchy on us.
“We will not allow any takeover of the local government except through a judicial pronouncement or a democratic process.”
“We vehemently reject any ploy to deploy a non-existing court order to achieve local political power.
“I, therefore, appeal to Mr President who is a renowned democrat, to insist on the rule of law by instructing the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of DSS, the Commandant General of the Civil Defense Corps not to obey an illegal order from his nephew, Mr Gboyega Oyetola. The Osun State security chiefs should also be called to order.
“I call on Mr President, to instruct the National Security Adviser, and the Attorney General of the Federation, to personally verify the fact that the Court of Appeal judgement did not reinstate the sacked local government chairmen and councilors and the fact that, there is a subsisting judgement of Court that sacked the Chairmen and Councillors produced by the 2022 local government polls.
“The Nigerian public should hold Mr Gboyega Oyetola and the Osun State security chiefs responsible for any breakdown of law and order in the state tomorrow, Monday, and beyond.
“It is unfortunate that the Osun State security chiefs are taking instructions from Mr Gboyega Oyetola just because he is the nephew of Mr. President.
“As much as we will do our best to maintain peace, we call on men and women of goodwill to intervene before it is too late,” he said.
Your allegation against me, baseless, respect court ruling, Oyetola tells Adeleke
Reacting to the allegations, ex-Osun governor now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Gboyega Gboyega Oyetola, described the allegation by Governor Adeleke that he was planning to destabilise the state as baseless, stating that he has an untainted 15-year record of peaceful conduct and law-abiding public service.
Oyetola, in a statement issued by his media office, said he remains a peace-loving individual who does not only respect the judiciary, but also upholds the rule of law, and constituted authority.
He said he had no plan or intention to engage in any act inimical to the peace and tranquility of the state.
“For the four years he governed Osun, he gave a good account of himself as a man of peace, a respecter of rule of law and one not given to violence. If he is given to violence, he would certainly have fought back violently in 2022 when he was brazenly rigged out.
“Again, in 2022, when Governor Ademola Adeleke employed extra-judicial means to sack democratically elected council officials, Oyetola as the leader of party, never preached violence. Instead, he led the party members to court.
“Thankfully, his party won at the Appeal last week. And as peace-loving leader, he appealed to security agencies to enforce the judgment of the court. How can such a man be accused of a destabilisation plot. I think anyone accusing Oyetola of violence needs to have his/her head properly examined.
“The minister is further seizing this opportunity to appeal to his successor to respect the Appeal Court judgement, rather than resort to cheap blackmail, which has no place in law,” the statement added.
NLC orders LG workers to stay at home from midnight today
Following the acrimony between the governor and his predecessor, the State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Sunday directed all its members working in all the LGAs in the state to withdraw their services effective Monday, by midnight.
The union, which issued the directive through its chairman, Comrade (Dr) Christopher A. Arapasopo in Osogbo, maintained: “We won’t allow our members to return until their safety at work can be assured and guaranteed, which is their constitutional right.
“The NLC is apolitical, but we won’t allow our members to work in an atmosphere of insecurity.”
In the statement titled: “Safety of our members is non-negotiable,” the union said it has noticed the political uproar bringing agitations and fear among our members working within the Local Government Areas across the state.
“We urge all the political parties and their members to abide by the rule of law. We insist on the rule of law to avoid a descent to anarchy.”
“We hereby call on all security agencies to ensure the safety of all lives and properties within Osun State Local Governments and the public in general”.
“The NLC Osun State remains committed to defending the rights, welfare, and safety of all its members.”
APC to Adeleke: Planned illegal public holiday won’t stop our chairmen from resuming
Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Sunday, charged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government to stop misleading members of the public over Governor Ademola Adeleke administration’s alleged continued disobedience to a valid Appeal Court judgment delivered on February 10, 2025 that reinstated the lawfully elected local government officers.
The party, in a statement in Osogbo by its spokesperson, Chief Kola Olabisi said: “Rather than to appreciate the legal and lawful means being adopted by the APC and the elected officers in venting their grievances, it is worrisome that the Governor Ademola Adeleke’s government has sought to cause disaffection against the APC by its Chief Security Officer (CSO) with a call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call the ever-lawful and peaceful Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, to order.
“The PDP, in their latest twist of the reinstatement judgment, sought to rely on the judgment of the Federal High Court in a case filed by the All Peoples Party (APP), which sacked the elected officers and notwithstanding the Appeal Court judgment that reinstated the elected officers, the judgment of the higher court on the same issue should be ignored.
“Their ridiculous call and disobedience to the Appeal Court judgment is not only laughable but honestly disappointing more so that such is coming from the government that has a duty to respect the rule of law and the Appeal Court judgment.
“The mischief was taken too far when they surreptitiously hid the fact that the same very Federal High Court judgment in the APP case is still a subject of litigation at the Appeal Court and they also concealed the fact that they did not appeal the judgment of the Appellate Court of 10th February, 2025.
“There is no court order that directs that the Appeal Court judgment should not be obeyed.
“All they desperately want to achieve is to illegally conduct a local government election on 22nd February, 2025 into the same offices which they know are not vacant with the new development of the 10th February, 2025.
“The good people of Osun State are really disturbed as to the desperation of the government and its appointed highly controversial OSSIEC chairman, Hashim Abioye, over their sole aim of conducting the election and their having no any concern about the most likely consequences of such illegal elections.
“Such a desperation is obviously suggestive of the need for them to continue to feign ignorance of the importance of obeying the Appeal Court judgment but rather going ahead to conduct the elections and damn the consequences.
“The appeal of APP that was dismissed by the Court of Appeal which PDP and OSIEC want to rely on was never heard on the merit and a motion to relist it for purpose of hearing and judgment like the one of 10th February, 2025 is still pending.
“We are now using this medium to call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the DSS and all other security services that Governor Adeleke, Hashim Abioye and others in the same shoe must not be allowed to create crises where there is none.
“The Osun State Government should not feel too big to respect the sanctity of the Appeal Court judgment of 10th February, 2025 as it is valid and binding on all persons and authorities until same is set aside by the Supreme Court.
“We have also got the hint that the Osun State Government has concluded an arrangement to declare a public holiday from tomorrow Monday till Friday to fraudulently allow the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) hold the illegal local government council election.
“The illegal public holiday prompted by panic on the side of Governor Adeleke and his cohorts would be announced by 12 pm today at a press conference to be held in the Government House, Oke-fia, Osogbo.
“As a party, we are determined to resume to the councils legitimately and are not worried with the nefarious plans of the PDP-led government in Osun because we are confident that the law must take its course.
Tribune