The Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke has dismissed the claims that no court order reinstated the “Yes/No council chairmen,” as he insists that the court-sacked officials have no legal standing.
In an address delivered during the meeting with the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers on Thursday, Adeleke response to the ongoing controversy surrounding the leadership of the local government councils in the state.
The governor emphasised that there is no court ruling that reinstates the council chairmen, whose election was declared null and void by the courts.
This is contained in a statement released by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed in Osogbo .
He stated, “Our fathers since the appeal was dismissed, the judgement sacking the Yes/No chairmen remains valid. As at today, the sack order has never been vacated by any court of law.”
Governor expatiate the legal context surrounding that surrounds the controversial local government election held under the administration of former governor, Gboyega Oyetola.
According to Adeleke, in 2022, Oyetola organized a Yes/No election, which was later challenged by two political parties—PDP and APP—on the grounds of procedural flaws.
The Federal High Court ruled that the election was flawed and thus declared the results invalid.
“The court nullified and ordered that those who were purportedly elected to vacate the office,” Adeleke explained.
Adeleke further shed light on the appeals filed by the APC and APM, explaining that both parties failed to pursue their appeals, resulting in the dismissal of the appeal and leaving the court’s decision intact.
“In the first appeal against the APP judgement which sacked the Yes/No Council chairmen, the APC and the APM filed an appeal but did not pursue the case. They went to sleep, as lawyers would say,” he noted.
As a result, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, further affirming that the sack order remained in place.
He also addressed the recent APC-initiated claims regarding the legality of the court’s decisions.
“In the second case involving APC V PDP, the Court of Appeal noted that there were four issues for determination and resolved issues 1 and 2, saying the trial court lacked jurisdiction to have entertained the matter in the first place,” Adeleke explained.
According to the governor, the court ruling was clear: there was no order for reinstatement of the sacked chairmen, which the APC continues to falsely claim.
In addition, the governor accused the APC of a deliberate and calculated attempt to destabilise Osun State through violence and manipulation of the legal system.
He said, “Osun state was ambushed suddenly by elements within the All Progressives Congress (APC) whose agenda was to burn down the state.” Adeleke’s statements come in the wake of violent confrontations between APC-backed chairmen and security agencies.
Despite a national broadcast warning to all parties, the APC chairmen defiantly attempted to retake the local government secretariats, defying the governor’s directives.
Adeleke recalled the tragic outcome of these confrontations, noting, “We lost seven residents with several others injured,” and condemned the APC for failing to adhere to the law and opting for violence instead.
He also slammed the federal authorities for their involvement, stating, “We were shocked to read from the Attorney General of the Federation, advising us to comply with a non-existing court order. Same advice was extended to us by the Inspector General of Police.”
The governor further confirmed that the state, following the due process of law, had successfully filled the vacancies created by the sacking of the Yes/No chairmen through a validly conducted local government election, which was secured by a court order and supported by security agencies.
He asserted, “The local government election was validly held despite intimidation and harassment by security operatives who were taking directives from Mr Oyetola.”
Adeleke reassured the traditional rulers and the people of Osun that his administration would not resort to violence.
He declared, “We will not resort to violence. We will allow the law to take its full course.”
He also made it clear that those illegally occupying the council secretariats would be dealt with through legal means, not through self-help.
“I have directed the newly elected officials to stay away from the councils. We are applying the rule of law, not violence,” he affirmed.
In his closing remarks, Adeleke questioned the motives behind the APC’s refusal to pursue the appeals after their initial case was dismissed.
“Why did APC refuse to pursue the appeal filed against the APP judgement that sacked its chairmen?” he asked, emphasizing that the court’s decision had no room for further litigation.
He also cited the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Rivers State local government election, which confirmed that the Osun Yes/No election had violated the electoral act and was thus invalid.
“The Supreme Court ruling on Rivers local government election has clearly confirmed that the Osun Yes/No election was conducted in violation of the electoral act and therefore remains null and void,” Adeleke stated, further backing up his argument against the legitimacy of the previous election.
In a final plea to the traditional rulers, Adeleke appealed for their help in disseminating the truth to the public.
“We are a community of enlightened citizenry. We should not allow fake news to be weaponized to destroy our dear state,” he concluded, urging the monarchs to pass the message to the Federal Government and President Bola Tinubu
