Adeleke calls for peaceful LG election as APC withdraws from election

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state has tasked politicians to abide by the rule of law even as he urged voters to peacefully exercise their rights at the Saturday local government elections. Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has withdrawn from the forthcoming local government election insisting that there is no vacancy in the councils.

Alao Olabisi Kamoru, the APC state secretary in a letter addressed to the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), cited a recent Appeal Court judgment that reinstated previously elected officers, thus rendering the election “unnecessary, superfluous, and unlawful.”

However, the governor declared that peace has returned to the state after a recent face-off which was a result of the  ‘forceful’ takeover of the local government secretariats by the court-sacked APC chairmen and Councilors.

Adeleke, in a statement by Olawale Rasheed, his spokesperson declared during a statewide broadcast on Thursday that “Osun State is back to normalcy as one of the most peaceful states in the federation”.

The governor who consoled the families and friends of those who lost their lives and those who sustained injuries in the crisis that followed the take-over of the councils said “the unfortunate incident reminds us that abiding by the rule of law remains the best path for a peaceful Osun State.

“I particularly appreciate and commend our people for complying with my directives to stay away from local government secretariats. The compliance saved our state from further confrontations and casualties. It has returned the state of the living spring to its peaceful and loving nature.

“I regret to report to the good people of Osun State that the Court-Sacked APC chairmen and councillors went back on Wednesday, 19th February 2025, to forcefully break into the various local government secretariats. I urged and directed everyone in Osun State to stay away from the Local Government Secretariats to avoid any confrontation with them. The rule of law, through the judiciary, will eventually resolve the matter peacefully. Please, let us be patient.

“Those who claim to have a court judgment that ordered their reinstatement should approach the court for the enforcement of the said order of court instead of resorting to self-help, which is illegal. The Nigerian judiciary has its enforcement procedure, which everyone must follow.  If you have a genuine court order, follow the court enforcement protocols.

“As a government, we have read through the said judgment. We have submitted it to the best of legal minds for interpretation. There is nowhere a reinstatement order was issued. No matter the manner of misinterpretation, that judgment contains no consequential order nor any reinstatement directive.

“Most importantly, the judgment in the APP suit, which sacked the APC chairmen and Councilors, is still subsisting and alive. The appeal by APC against this judgment did not succeed at the Court of Appeal. The APC appeal was dismissed.

“If the occupying court-sacked APC chairmen and councillors chose to continue on the path of illegal self-help, I assure our people that the best route to resolution is the rule of law through the judiciary. I am committed to upholding the rule of law alongside the passionate observance of the Constitution. We will allow the court to determine the correctness or otherwise of their claim.

“We have confidence in the democratic credentials of President Tinubu, who we know will always insist on the rule of law.

“I implore our people to continue to sustain the peace that has returned to our dear state. We need peaceful coexistence to expand our good governance delivery of the past two years. Osun state remains truly peaceful.

“Finally, I urge all registered voters to vote in the local government election of Saturday, 22nd February 2025, and to conduct themselves peacefully at all times”, the governor noted in the broadcast.