The Osun State Caucus of the 10th National Assembly has strongly condemned the actions of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, regarding the violent takeover of local governments, despite a court ruling that nullified their election.
The caucus urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call the Inspector General of Police and other security heads to order.
During a press conference held in Abuja on Monday, 17th February 2025, Representative Bamidele Salam, speaking on behalf of the caucus comprising the three Senators representing Osun State’s senatorial districts and nine Members of the House of Representatives, expressed deep concern over the escalating unrest and lawlessness in Osun.
The caucus called for immediate action to curb the chaos that has engulfed the state, following reports of sacked local government officials and their supporters breaking into local government secretariats, aided by security personnel and thugs.
These groups have been accused of disrupting public order through violent means, including shooting and harassing local residents.
This forceful takeover is being carried out despite a clear ruling by the Court of Appeal in Akure, which upheld the nullification of the local government elections held in October 2022.
The representatives highlighted the role of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, alongside some APC leaders in Osun, who they claim are behind these unlawful actions in collaboration with security agencies in the state.
The Statement reads, ” The Osun State Caucus of the 10th National Assembly, Abuja, which comprises the 3 Distinguished Senators representing the 3 Senatorial Districts of the State and the 9 Honourable Members of the House of Representatives representing the 9 Federal Constituencies in the State, has chosen to address the press having observed the political happenings in our dear State in the past few days bothering on judicial pronouncements on the Local Government Election conducted in Osun State on the 15th day of October 2022.
Having observed the breaking of law and order in Osun State in the last few hours, this address becomes imminent and indispensable for us as representatives of the people who have sworn to uphold the rule of law and defend democratic principles at all times.
We use this medium to condemn the brazen effrontery of the sacked Local Government Council officials to return to office notwithstanding the yet-to-be-set-aside decision of the Court of Appeal, Akure, against their return to the office. Today, the people of Osun woke up to a criminal take-over of the Local Government Secretariats across Osun State by these sacked officials who forcefully broke into the premises of the councils, aided by thugs and hooligans who have been shooting sporadically, wreaking havoc on the people of the State, thereby breaking law and order. Sadly, this is being perpetrated with the support of some security personnel, relying on a different court judgement, despite a subsisting court judgement which upheld the nullification of their purported election.
The Governor of Osun State, HE Sen. Ademola Adeleke had in his world press conference of Sunday 16th February 2025 appealed to President Tinubu to rein in on the Minister and his attempt to influence the security forces in the state to perpetrate the illegal and forceful takeover. The Nigerian Labour Congress (Osun State Chapter), with a view to safeguarding her members, also directed the Local Government workers under the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to withdraw their service from 12:00 am until further notice.
The general public is aware that there were two different Federal High Court judgements on the said Local Government Election of 2022. One of the judgements was on the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which sacked the products of the 2022 Local Government polls, while the other judgment was on the suit filed by the Action Peoples Party (APP), which equally sacked them. The two (2) cases were filed differently, at different times and in the exercise of the fundamental rights of each of the political parties (PDP and APP) to challenge the propriety or otherwise of the Local Government poll so conducted in the court of competent jurisdiction.
Although, the All Progressives Congress (APC), appealed the Federal High Court judgment obtained by the PDP on the said case, the Court of Appeal, Akure, on 10th day of February, 2025 struck out the judgement earlier obtained by the PDP at the Federal High Court on technical/jurisdictional ground that the Originating Process of the PDP was filed before the Notice of Election was published by Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC). The Court of Appeal which equally lacked the jurisdiction to determine the merit of the suit based on the lack of jurisdiction by the Federal High Court refused to go into the merit of the case and made no order reinstating the sacked Local Government Chairmen and Councillors. However, the Appeal by the APC against the favourable judgememt obtained by the APP at the Federal High Court was dismissed by the same Court of Appeal, Akure, on the 13th day of January 2025 for lack of diligent prosecution which makes the judgment of the APP still subsisting and alive. Thus, the subsisting judgement of the APP affirms the sacking of these officials and APC is bound by the same. It is important for us to establish that the suits filed by the PDP and the APP were not consolidated at any point in time and the judgement obtained in one cannot affect the other.
Interestingly, the APC realises the serious implication and the binding effect of the favourable judgement in favour of the APP at the Court of Appeal against it as a party. The party, APC, has therefore since returned to the Court of Appeal to re-open the appeal of the party which was dismissed on the 13th day of January, 2025. The APC then needs to wait till the appeal on the judgement of the APP is finally determined by the apex Court and should stop blowing hot and cold at the same time. It is inexplicable that the APC which is pursuing the judgement of the APP at one hand is also seeking illegal execution of another judgement on the other hand.
We are aware that these dastardly acts are being carried out under the directives of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola and some notable leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State in active collaboration with the heads of Security Agencies in the State, namely; the Commissioner of Police, the Director of State Security Service, and the State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).
This is an invitation to anarchy and it has broken law and order in the State, thereby causing chaos and mayhem which has threatened the relative peace being enjoyed by the good people of Osun State under the stewardship of the Peoples’ Governor, HE, Sen. Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke.
These desperate acts contradict common sense in view of the fact that there is a Local Government election scheduled for Saturday 22nd of February to which the APC has purchased forms, conducted primaries and actively engaged in campaigns in the last couple of months.
It therefore baffles any right-thinking mind on how the same party and its leaders will turn around to insist that officials who were sacked over two years ago should forcefully take over office in a manner that disrupts the peace of the state.
Sadly, this desperate act in connivance with security agents is taking its toll as scores of PDP members, local government workers, and other innocent persons have been shot, brutalised, and harassed by APC thugs and security men in the last few hours. There are several reports of attacks in various parts of the State. At Isokan Local Government, it was reported that three PDP members were shot dead by APC thugs in their bid to take over the local government secretariats. At Boripe Local Government, PDP members who were holding peaceful meetings were reportedly attacked by MOPOL and thugs working with the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola. At Boluwaduro Local Government, Mr. Asiri Eniba (a notorious APC thug) reportedly led the assaults on PDP members, shooting sporadically across major towns in the area. At Ayedaade Local Government, APC thugs shot a member of the PDP to death with several wounded. At Ilesa East, APC thugs swooped on the local government Secretariat, macheting PDP members on sight.
We condemn these unfolding acts of state capture through violence, usurpation of constituted authority, abuse of federal power and gross rascality by the APC in Osun and especially the Minister of Marine and Blue economy, Mr Gboyega Oyetola.
We hereby alert the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, HE Sen. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the international community of this unfortunate occurrence. Accordingly, we call Mr. President to direct the Inspector General of Police to immediately restore law and order in the State.
Furthermore, we call on Mr. President to instruct the National Security Adviser, and the Attorney General of the Federation, to properly advise the All Progressives Congress in Osun on the futility of their barbaric actions and guide them appropriately on the true position of the law on this matter.
Finally, we want to state it categorically that as representatives of the people, we stand by the Osun State Government under the able leadership of His Excellency Senator Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke on this matter in defence of democracy, rule of law, justice and public order”
