A fresh crisis is looming in Osun State as local government executives of the All Progressives Congress(APC) and Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) are laying claim to the control of the councils amid dismissal of the case that was relisted.
The Nation recalled that the Appeal Court on February 10, this year reinstated the APC executives earlier sacked by two Federal High Court verdicts. However, the appellate court dismissed an application by the APC seeking to relist an earlier appeal that had been struck out on January 13 for lack of diligent prosecution.
Subsequently, the PDP executives elected on February 22, this year and Osun State government declared that they would resume councils, which had earlier been taken over by APC executives, stating that the dismissal of the fresh appeal upheld the sack of reinstated chairmen.
Speaking with the chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria(ALGON) for APC, Abiodun Idowu, stated: “The keys of the councils are with us, we have an enrollment order which validates that we are the legal occupant of the councils. Let the PDP’s illegal officials show the police their enrollment order.
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“There is no fear, we are in control of the local government which is why our enrolment order made the IGP deploy its men to us. No fear, Osun residents should go about their normal business.”
However, the ALGON Chairman for PDP, Sarafadeen Awotunde, told The Nation: “We are not interested in disrupting the peace and good governance we are enjoying in Osun State under Governor Ademola Adeleke. Resumption does not matter to us for now, but the developmental projects that we are enjoying in Osun State.
“The Court of Appeal that gave the judgment on Friday knows the next step to take to chase out those hooligans, the government is continuing. We respect the rule of law. This issue is not between Osun APC and PDP but APC against the people of Osun State.
Speaking with the Osun State Police Command through its spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, he confirmed that they have deployed their men at the councils to forestall breakdown of peace.
Meanwhile, Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has ordered the probe of heads of radio stations in the state for allowing opposition leaders to spread inciteful and violent comments over fresh Appeal Court verdict on council control.
Adeleke noted that those comments and messages by the opposition leaders in the state breached the national broadcasting codes.