The political space in Osun state is tension-filled amid growing uncertainty over the state of local government administration, with both the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) fiercely seeking to  control the third tier of government.

Following the Court of Appeal’s decision believed to have nullified their sack from office, the council chairmen elected on the APC platform forcefully took over the rein of leadership in their various local government areas, and in the process lost one of their colleagues, among other casualties.

However, the PDP headed for the state High Court where Justice Adeyinka Aderibigbe gave the nod that the election should go ahead as planned.

The court pronounced that there were vacancies in all the local government councils, hence the need for the election.

With this, the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) proceeded with the scheduled council polls Saturday, despite the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN)’s call for compliance with the appeal court’s judgement.

At the end of the exercise Saturday, OSSIEC announced the PDP candidates as winners in both the 332 councillorship and the 30 local government chairmanship seats in the state.

Notwithstanding the state of uncertainty, Governor Ademola Jackson Adeleke swore in the newly elected chairmen and councillors, whom he warned to stay off the council secretariats.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony Sunday in Osogbo, Adeleke insisted that the Saturday election was valid based on the court judgment, and vowed that the council would be reclaimed for them.

He maintained that the state electoral body had complied with the extant rules and procedures. 

“We are all aware of the journey to where we are. The state is today rounding up a process that started a year or so ago. 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.

“We are equally aware of the legal controversies that dogged the holding of the election. 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 rule of law and the constitution.

“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. 

“An Osun State High Court had affirmed the vacancies in both the Chairman and Councilors positions in all of Osun State Local Governments before your election on the 22nd February 2025. 

“We will, therefore, rely on the judiciary to ensure a peaceful removal of those illegally occupying the local government secretariats,” Adeleke said.

He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for not supporting plans to cause chaos in the state,  promising that he would uphold the rule of law and constitution.

“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. I assure Mr President of our commitment to the rule of law and the constitution for conflict resolution and governance process,” Adeleke said.

Congratulating the new elected officials, Oyo state Governor Seyi Makinde, who was also present at the event, said: “This is an opportunity for you to deliver to the grassroots. This will be your stepping stone to higher positions and the reward for hard work is more opportunities.”

He warned all stakeholders in the southwest not to allow the resurgence of the ‘wild, wild west’ in the region.

“We don’t want ‘wild wild West’ again. They should stay away from this zone. We want to peacefully provide the dividend of democracy to the people”, he said.

Makinde added: “They should not resort to self-help even if there is a court judgment. They should not think because they have federal might, this is a federal arrangement. I will stop here.”

Expressing shock over last Monday’s violence in Osun state, Makinde said: “APC could have a court judgment, it should follow the due process to implement such judgment and not go through the backdoors or unlawful means, adding that lovers of democracy would not want a resort to violence, which made the South-West earn the appellation of ‘Wild Wild West’ in the past.

“The chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and I decided to come here to witness this momentous occasion and to show solidarity with the government and the people of Osun State. Recently, we were in Lagos for the South-West Governors’ Forum meeting. We had PDP and APC governors from the South-West in attendance. We came together in the interest of our zone to tackle those problems that are common to us and our expectation is that we would have the support all the way to the top, because the essence of governance is to deliver the goods to the people in our various states and zones.”

 “So, when events started unfolding here in Osun State to the extent that lives were lost, we felt that we should come around and sound a note of warning. We are all students of history and we know what the South-West Region went through that made people tag it ‘Wild Wild West’ back then and we do not want that again. 

 “We just want to peacefully deliver the dividends of democracy to our people. So, nobody should resort to self-help. Even if you have a court judgment, there is a process; let the process go through. You cannot say that because you have the so-called federal might, you want to truncate the process. This is a federal arrangement.”

And in a reaction, the APC condemned the inauguration of the elected local government officials, describing the act as a political provocation and a direct violation of a valid Court of Appeal judgment..

The party, however, called on federal government to ensure that federal allocations to local governments in the state are directed only to those officials who are democratically elected and judicially reinstated in line with the law.

In a statement issued Sunday in Abuja, the APC accused Adeleke and his party –the PDP- of deliberately disregarding the rule of law and the authority of the courts. 

The statement said: “In keeping with the rule of law, it is our expectation that the Federal Government will make federal allocation for local governments available only to democratically elected and judicially certified local government officials in Osun state.”

The party reiterated that the Court of Appeal, on February 10, 2025, had handed down a ruling that reinstated local government officials who had been removed by an executive order from Governor Adeleke. The Court of Appeal’s judgment was described as “valid, subsisting, and binding,” and the APC called on the governor to respect it.

The statement signed by APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, elaborated on the legal situation, explaining that the Court of Appeal had nullified the judgment of a Federal High Court from November 2022, which had originally invalidated the local government officials’ election. 

The court had ordered the reinstatement of the officials until the end of their term in October 2025, effectively striking down any actions by the state government to appoint caretaker committees.

“The APC exercised utmost respect for the adverse decision of the Federal High Court and demonstrated mature restraint,” the statement read. “We did not resort to violence or self-help, but diligently pursued our appeal until the Court of Appeal rightly restored the legitimacy of the local government officials,” the party added.

The statement questioned why Governor Adeleke and the PDP were ignoring the ruling of the appellate court. It also asked why the governor was allegedly inciting unrest in the state, highlighting the fragile peace in Osun following recent tensions.

The party further criticized the new local government ele

ctions as a “disgraceful sham,” labeling it illegal and unconstitutional.

The APC’s national publicity secretary condemned the actions as a waste of public funds and a reckless attempt to fuel violence in an already volatile state. 

He also pointed to the ongoing security concerns, calling for the state’s police and security agencies to remain alert to prevent any breakdown of law and order.

The statement ended with a call for peace in the state and a demand for Governor Adeleke to stop what it described as his “illegal and anti-democratic push” for fresh elections, urging him to comply with the Court of Appeal’s order.