Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo and Chinedu Eze in Lagos

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, yesterday, alerted the national and global audience about an alleged plot by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, to create chaos and anarchy in the state.
This, he claimed, his predecessor planned to do by installing the sacked local government chairmen and Councillors today (Monday) across 30 local government areas of the state.

He further called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to instruct the National Security Adviser, and the Attorney General of the Federation, to personally verify the fact that the Court of Appeal judgement did not reinstate the sacked local government chairmen and councilors.
But the minister and his party, the All progressives Congress (APC), have denied any such thing, and advised the governor to do the right thing instead.

Adeleke recalled that there was a subsisting judgement of court that sacked the chairmen and the Councillors produced by the 2022 local government polls in the state.
The governor noted that he would expose a fascist anti-democratic agenda designed to enforce a non-existing court judgment on  local governments in the state.
“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.

Adeleke affirmed that he knew President  Tinubu to be a true democrat, a lover of rule of law, and a believer in the sanctity of the judicial process.
“I know, as a matter of fact, that Mr. President will never authorise a dictatorial violation of the constitution irrespective of who is involved. It is crucial to add that Mr. President will never support any action that is capable of generating bloodbath and bloodshed,” he said.
But Oyetola, has urged Adeleke to respect the recent ruling of Court of Appeal, which on February 11, 2025, reinstated the sacked local government chairmen and councillors in the state.

Oyetola, also dismissed the allegation that he was plotting to destabilise the state, saying his antecedents, pedigree and track records of public service in the last 15 years did not support the allegation by Adeleke.
Oyetola, therefore, appealed to the governor, saying, instead of resorting to cheap blackmail, which has no place in law, he should respect the Appeal Court judgement.

This was contained in a statement by the Media Office of the Minister, which described Oyetola as a man of peace, who has tremendous respect for the judiciary, rule of law and constituted authority, and as such would never be party to any breakdown of law and order.

Meanwhile, the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), weekend, dragged the leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, over his recent prophecy in favour of Adeleke.

Ayodele had reportedly said at an empowerment programme in his church in Lagos that Adeleke would win re-election in the state among other things.

But APC said, “Since the garrulous primate has willfully descended into the arena of politics by metaphorically surrounding himself with the grains of corn, he should be prepared to be the playmate of the proverbial fowls.

“Our advice is that it would profit Prophet Ayodele better to remove his cassock with which he has been deceiving his gullible clients and replace it with a traditional three-piece flowing gown(agbada) instead of hiding under the shield of a man of God to throw political tantrums for reasons which could only be commercial.”

At the same time, the Elders’ Caucus (Igbimo Agba) of the APC in the state, has expressed confidence to return the party to power in 2026.

They reiterated the party’s position to implement the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Akure on the local governments in the state to the letter.

Addressing the media, shortly after a meeting held at the residence of Oyetola, in Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government Council Area of the state, Chairman of Osun APC Elders’ Caucus, Sola Akinwumi, said the party was fully prepared to sack Adeleke and return to power.