The opposition All Progressives Congress in Osun State has warned the state government against using media tactics to continue its disobedience to the Appeal Court judgment which reportedly reinstated the elected APC sacked by Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The opposition party also alleged that the state government was planning to declare a public holiday from Monday till Friday as a way to allow the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) hold the local government council elections.
The APC also alleged that the state government has perfected plans to use thugs to intimidate its leaders and members
APC, in a statement by its Director of media and information, Kola Olabisi, on Sunday, noted that the state government’s disobedience to the Appeal Court judgment was not only laughable but disappointing, adding that the state government has a duty to respect the rule of law and the Appeal Court judgment.
The statement called on President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the DSS, and all other security services to call Governor Adeleke and the chairman of the state Independent Electoral Commission, Hashim Abioye, to order.
The statement read in part, “The attention of the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress(APC) has just been drawn to yet another media tactic being deployed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government under Governor Ademola Adeleke to continue to mislead members of the public in the State and beyond over his government’s continued disobedience to a valid Appeal Court judgment delivered on 10th February 2025 that reinstated the lawfully elected local government officers.
“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 Governor Ademola Adeleke’s government has sought to instigate the unsuspecting members of the public against the APC by its Chief Security Officer (CSO) with a ruse unsuccessfully described as a call on the 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 All Peoples Party’s (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.
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“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.
It is pleasing to note that the PDP government under Governor Adeleke and its “dependent OSSIEC” that has become a conduit pipe for stealing public funds, have failed, in their quest to mislead the public that the ever-vigilant members of the opposition are watching them with keen interest and shall not fail in exposing their shenanigans to the public.
“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 the 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 elections.
“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.
“Our party is also aware of the clandestine move by the government and the PDP leaders to attack our party leaders and members from this night especially our Council Chairmen and Councillors to intimidate and suppress them from resuming their legitimate duties.
“The press conference to be held is to play a victim game by declaring public holiday and accuse the APC and the Local Government Chairmen of fomenting trouble tomorrow whereas they are the ones who have mobilized a suspected gun-runner, Nurudeen Alowonle, who was recently decorated by Governor Adeleke as the State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) among others”.
