Osun State local government workers have ruled out an immediate return to work, insisting that only directives from the Nigeria Labour Congress,  NLC, and the National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, can determine their resumption.

Recall that the workers were instructed to stay away from their offices on February 16 by the leadership of NULGE and the NLC due to insecurity concerns arising from the legal tussle over the enforcement of a Court of Appeal judgment in Akure, which involved elected local government officials seeking reinstatement after their removal from office.

The affected officials, chairmen and councillors elected under the All Progressives Congress in the October 15, 2022, local government elections, claimed that the Court of Appeal had overturned an earlier judgment by Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Federal High Court in Osogbo, which had sacked them on November 25, 2022.

Read Also: Adeleke denies changing LG accounts signatories

Speaking anonymously, some local government staff members stated that returning to work was not a priority at the moment, citing concerns over their February salary and the upcoming NULGE state election.

However, the Osun State Government countered their claim, stating that the court did not issue a consequential order for their reinstatement but merely allowed the appeal against their removal.

Reacting to the situation, the leader of the APC-elected council chairmen, Abiodun Idowu, urged the workers to resume, assuring them of their safety.

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The Society made this known through its Executive Director, Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, at this month’s edition of the State of the State address, and the 30th of its kind.

He noted that upon sighting any ambiguity in the Appellate Court judgment, seeking clarification from an explicit Court should have been done and not rushing to hold the election.

“We were thus shocked that Barr. Hashim Abioye, on whose neck several allegations of partisanship were hanging, decided to proceed with the Elections, despite the clear indications of looming anarchy.

If it is proved that the Courts indeed reinstated the Chairmen and Councilors elected in 2022, where will OSSIEC put the persons elected via the 2025LG elections? The rush was suspicious, and quite irresponsible, especially coming from an organization that should have no vested interest,” he explained.

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Oyedokun-Alli enjoined active players in the political unrest to respect the rule of law while stressing that all parties must immediately return to the relevant Court as legal ambiguities are better resolved through laid down competent judicial processes.

“We have keenly followed the brickbats that followed the Appeal Court Judgment of February 10, 2025, and we must state unequivocally that all political gladiators in the state have not acted in the best interest of peace, and security of lives and properties.’

“We believe that legal ambiguities are better resolved through laid-down judicial processes,” he added

The group equally frowned at the attempted assassination of one of its members, Wole Oladapo, whose home was burgled on Monday, 17th of February,2025, through 18th of February, 2025, for unknown intentions.

They labeled any attempt to silence the voice of the people as utterly condemnable.

Speaking with newsmen, the victim of the occurrence, Oladapo, recounted that the ugly event happened overnight, and none of his belongings was taken away but left an imprint, which caused panic in his family.

While commending the Federal Government for the establishment of the Federal University of Agriculture and Development in Osun State, the group posited that a rise in the cost of services ranging from telecommunication to electricity, among others has deepened the level of poverty in the Land.

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The party made this known in a statement from its Chairman, Sunday Bisi who maintained that Egbetokun deliberately deployed Special forces to escort miscreants into the local government councils in the State.

“Mr Egbetokun’s deliberate deployment of Special Forces under him to escort some miscreants into the local government councils in the state was nothing but a blatant coup and obviously, one out of the many mapped-out plans to assassinate the Governor of our dear State, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, whose instruction to restore peace and order as the Chief Security Officer of Osun State, was flagrantly violated by Mr Egbetokun,” the statement reads.

The party also asserted that the move is one of the plans to assassinate the incumbent Governor,  Ademola Adeleke who has called for peace and order as the number one citizen of the State.

Speaking on behalf of the party, Bisi emphasized that the IGP has not only betrayed the Governor who had called for peace but also set dangerous routes for troublemakers to carry out deadly acts, saying the state has lost not less than 10 lives since the beginning of the week.

” The motive of security reinforcement if required and as discussed with Egbetokun by His Excellency, the Governor, has not only been betrayed by Mr Egbetokun, but has also set dangerous routes for trouble makers to carry out their dastardly acts even when the state has just lost almost 10 of our sons and daughters to violent confrontations in less than 48hours ago,” he said.

He however commended the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, OSSIEC, for towing the path of law in the preparation for the upcoming local government election in the State, stressing that the February 22, 2025, election will have to be held without fail.

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This is contained in a statement made available by the commission’s Information Officer, Sadiat Isiaka, obtained in Osogbo in reaction to the information circulating on the social media that OSSIEC office in Osogbo had been sealed by soldiers.

Read Also: Appeal Court reinstates sacked APC local govt chairmen in Osun ahead of 2025 LG poll

The commission also assured all that the local government election slated for Saturday would hold as scheduled, while stressing that, wrong information should not to be allowed to prevent people from exercising their franchise in the election.

The commission further urged members of the public to disregard the unverified report, noting that the premises of the Commission was well secured and safe as evident in the heavy presence of inter-agency security personnel.

The post OSSIEC denies military siege, confirms Saturday LG poll appeared first on Afinju FM.

One of the residents of Olorunda Local Government Council, Iyabode Oluwasegun, said the clash was between two political parties seeking entrance into the council gate.

She explained that political thugs caused unrest in the area and many people who were capturing the moment were injured noting that no lives were lost in the process.

In the same vein, a council guard, Olufemi Eruobodo, maintained that the unrest occurred when some All Progressives Congress, APC members broke into the council despite meeting it locked and were chased away by some suspected thugs believed to be in support of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

He further explained that chasing the APC members away caused pandemonium in the area.

Our correspondent also sighted a drop of blood on the floor at a location very close to the Secretariat.

The Olorunda council gate was locked with the presence of security personnel, at the time of filing this report.

On getting to Osogbo Central Local Government secretariat, Oke Baale, residents declined to speak with our correspondent for fear of the unknown.

Meanwhile, there were security personnel in the area also as the council gate was partly opened.

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The Party made this known at a press conference held in response to the Adeleke Administration’s accusations against the APC, about causing mayhem in the State on Monday.

Read Also: Oyetola plotting to cause mayhem in Osun from Monday – Adeleke cries out

Speaking on behalf of the APC, the party chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, maintained that the Governor should rather comply with the Appeal Court Judgment reinstating the sacked Chairmen instead of seeking undue public sympathy.

“Rather than stoking crisis in the state, the most honorable thing for Governor Ademola Adeleke to do is to comply with the court order and give protection to the reinstated council Chairmen and Councilors.”

This is not the time to weave up sentiments and seek undue public sympathy as the matter is constitutional and unassailable. Laws are not built on sentiment but rather fact,” he added.

In his remarks, the State legal adviser of the APC, Goke Ogunsola, noted that the Appeal Court Judgment had overruled the High Court judgment of the Action Peoples Party, APP, saying the APP case is still a subject of litigation at the Appeal court.

“The APP judgment is a lower court decision, and what the Appeal Court decided on 13th January 2025 was the dismissal of a Notice of Appeal in the matter of want of prosecution not that the appeal was heard.”

“Immediately after, a motion to relist same was filed on 23rd January 2025, and the OSSIEC has been duly served. By and large, the judgment in the APP case is still subject to pending litigation at the Appeal court,” Ogunsola said.

In the same vein, a Chieftain of the APC and former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Adebayo Adeleke (BANIK), charged the State’s chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in conjunction with the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, to work hand in hand with the new office holders and steer clear of politics as this will bring development to the grassroots.

Adeleke also assured that all sacked teachers and health workers by the Adeleke-led government would be re-employed as provision has been made for it in the new Local Government autonomy.

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Adeleke made the allegation during a press conference.

It was gathered that Oyetola is spearheading moves to enforce a court order that reversed the sack of local council chairmen, elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state.

Read Also: APC Set To Boycott Election Over Controversy

Adeleke alleged that Oyetola is conspiring with several law enforcement agents, including the State Commissioner of Police and the State Director of the Department of State Services, DSS, to destabilize the state.

‘I called this press conference to alert the national and global audience about a deliberate plot to create chaos and anarchy in Osun state. I invite you all to expose a fascist anti-democratic agenda designed to enforce a non-existing court judgment on our local governments. This evil plot is being spearheaded by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy,  Mr Gboyega Oyetola in active collaboration with the Osun state Commissioner of Police, the Osun state Director of DSS and the State Commandant of the Civil Defense Corps,” he said.

The Governor said he chose to alert the nation before people are killed or maimed.

According to him, the bone of contention is the brazen effrontery to return to office council chairmen sacked by a subsisting court judgment using a different court decision, which has no consequential order.

“The bone of contention is the brazen effrontery to return to office council chairmen sacked by a subsisting court Judgment using a different court decision, which has no consequential order.”

For emphasis, l want to state that I had nothing to do with the sacking of the chairmen and councilors produced by the Osun 2022 local government polls. The Chairmen and Councilors were sacked by two different judgments of the Federal High Court Osogbo.’

‘The script Mr Oyetola is playing is about the most reprehensible abuse of power in this fourth republic capable of untold and unforeseen consequences on the polity,’ he added.

Adeleke explained that the said council chairmen were sacked before he was sworn in as governor of Osun State, contrary to the lies being peddled, that the chairmen and councilors were sacked by his Executive Order.

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The party maintained that its decision was with respect to the Court of Appeal’s verdict, which purportedly reinstated the sacked Yes or No chairmen.

Rédíò Afínjú had earlier reported that controversies have trailed the Court of Appeal judgment on the sacked local government chairmen who were elected during the last administration, with both the APC and PDP laying claim to victory after the judgment.

Read Also: Appeal Court reinstates sacked APC local govt chairmen in Osun ahead of 2025 LG poll

The sacked chairmen who were APC members were elected after former governor, Adegboyega Oyetola lost his re-election to incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke in 2022.

They were, however, sacked by a Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo.

While speaking at the Tinubu/ Shettima campaign office in Osogbo today, Oyetola announced that the party will boycott the election, stressing that ‘any election after the Court of Appeal verdict is illegal. We can’t be part of such.

“We will not participate in any LG election, it is illegal, tell them to obey the court order first because as it is, the council positions are not vacant, hence no need for another election.

“Our chairmen will resume their respective offices with all instruments of law. The court of Appeal verdict will be implemented. I want to urge all the chairmen and councillors not to fight them, we are a peace-loving party,” he said.

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