The Osun State Government has dismissed allegations by the All Progressives Congress that some local government workers in the state are being victimised, describing the claim as another case of what it called “fake news” by the opposition.
The state governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, stated this in a statement on Tuesday, insisting that Governor Ademola Adeleke was not targeting local government workers over their political affiliations.
Rasheed said the governor had, following the August 15 governorship election, declared that there was “no winner, no vanquished” and had extended an olive branch to political opponents.
He said Adeleke had also announced his forgiveness for those who offended or persecuted him during the election period and called on political opponents to work with his administration towards building a more prosperous Osun State.
The spokesperson said the governor had demonstrated his commitment to post-election reconciliation by establishing an electoral violence compensation fund and two other panels aimed at addressing political violence in the state.
“The allegation of witchhunt by the Osun APC is therefore a figment of the opposition’s imagination,” Rasheed said.
“No local government staff is being witchhunted as they are all protected by service rules and regulations which they all swore to abide with.”
Rasheed maintained that the Adeleke administration remained committed to protecting the rights of public servants within the provisions of the law and the regulations governing the public service.
“The governor and all agencies of government are committed to protection of the rights of all workers within the ambit of the law and public service regulations,” he said.
He, however, urged public servants to comply with the rules governing the civil service, stressing that obedience to regulations was necessary for discipline, orderliness and effective service delivery.
“We must however appeal to all public servants to abide by service rules. Obedience to rules and regulations of the public service is compulsory for discipline and orderliness in service delivery to the members of the public,” Rasheed said.
The latest statement is part of the continuing political exchanges between the Osun Government and the APC over governance and the activities of public institutions in the state. The Adeleke administration has previously issued several statements challenging what it described as misinformation and “fake news” concerning its policies and activities.