Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have returned to the secretariats of all the local government areas in Osun State to prevent breakdown of law and order.

Their presence was necessitated by conflicting judgments of the Court of Appeal over the crisis rocking the control of the state third tier of government.

The executives of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been laying claims to the control of council areas.

Recall that the same Court of Appeal, on February 10, 2025, reinstated APC council executives previously sacked by two different Federal High Court verdicts in favour of the PDP and the All People’s Party (APP) in the state.

However, a recent judgment of the Court of Appeal in Akure, that refused the enlistment of an earlier appeal struck out on January 13 for lack of diligent prosecution against APC in the APP case, has fueled the fresh crisis.

In the wake of this development, PDP chairmen elected on February 22, 2025, backed by the Osun State Government, announced their intention to resume control of the councils.

They argued that the dismissal of the APC’s fresh appeal effectively upheld the sack of the previously reinstated APC executives.

Reacting, the Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria for the APC, Abiodun Idowu, insisted that APC officials remain the lawful occupants of the council offices following their reinstatement by the Court of Appeal, Akure.

He said, “The keys to the councils are with us. We have an enrolment order confirming our legitimacy. Let the PDP’s illegal officials show the police their own enrolment order.

“There is no fear, we are in control of the local government, which is why our enrollment order made the IGP deploy his men to us. No fear, Osun residents should go about their normal business.”

However, the ALGON chairman for PDP, Sarafadeen Awotunde, said, “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 hooligan. 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.”

Confirming the deployment of the security operatives, the Osun State Police Command, through its spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said their men were deployed at the councils to forestall a breakdown of peace.

He said, “Our own is to provide security, to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order which we have put in place. We are not into politics; we are just to ensure safety. Our deployment has been done and I urge the people of Osun State to go about their business.”