February 23, (THEWILL) – Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has officially sworn in the newly elected local government chairmen and councillors, urging them to, however, “stay away from the council secretariats to avoid any clash”.
The new chairmen and councillors (all members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were elected in Saturday’s controversial election boycotted by the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Labour Party (LP) and Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
THEWILL reports that the election was held amid legal disputes over the tenure of former council officials, with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, declaring the poll unconstitutional.
Citing the legal implications of a recent Court of Appeal judgement delivered on February 10, 2025, which reinstated sacked local government officials, Fagbemi noted that the ruling overturned an earlier Federal High Court decision that nullified their election under former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola. He also referenced a Supreme Court judgement affirming local government autonomy and warned that any fresh election under the current circumstances would be invalid as tenure of the sacked Chairmen expires in November 2025.
But Justice A. Aderigbigbe of the Osun State High Court had on Friday, ruled in favour of the PDP, upholding the earlier Federal High Court decision that voided the election of local government officials under Oyetola.
The court reaffirmed that the officials had been sacked in the case FHC/CS/OS/103/2022 (APP vs. INEC & Ors), delivered on November 30, 2022, and confirmed by the Court of Appeal ruling in CA/AK/226M/2024 (APM & Ors vs. APP & Ors) on January 13, 2025, which stated that vacancies existed in the local councils.
Justice Aderigbigbe directed the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) to proceed with the elections and directed all security agencies and vigilante groups to maintain peace before, during and after the election.
While the OSSIEC on Saturday night declared the PDP as winner of the council poll, Governor Adeleke, who inaugurated the newly elected officials on Sunday in Osogbo, however, cautioned against any attempts to forcibly occupy council secretariats. He advised they stay away from council secretariats
“I urge you and your councillors to please stay away from the council secretariats to avoid any clash with those whom the police had aided to forcefully occupy the local government secretariats.
“It is on this note that I, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, the Executive Governor of Osun State, hereby effect the swearing-in of elected local government chairmen across Osun State. Congratulations and God bless you”, the Governor declared.
Referencing the High Court ruling, Adeleke assured that the judiciary would handle the removal of those “illegally occupying” the secretariats.
“Please be patient and always abide by the rule of law. We are here to conclude a democratic process for which we all laboured so hard to achieve. The state electoral body had issued due notice of election a year ago. I know the commission had complied with all extant rules and procedures which led to the emergence of new local government chairmen and councillors.
“It is, however, a thing of joy that the facts are out in the public domain, and we are satisfied that we are on the side of the law within the context of the rule of law and the constitution”, he said.
The Governor charged the new council chairmen and councillors to be “agents of change, community developers, and deliverers of the dividends of democracy”. He urged them to “develop plans of action within the manifesto of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)”.
Adeleke expressed gratitude to the people of Osun for their support, promising, “Osun people demonstrated courage and passion to exercise their voting rights…We will not fail you. People’s welfare will continue to be our watchword.”
He also commended OSSIEC, security agencies, and state officials for their roles in the election’s success.
He thanked President Bola Tinubu saying, “I should not end this address without acknowledging the contributions of Mr President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am most grateful to Mr President for rejecting efforts by some forces to plunge Osun into chaos.”
