Oluwole Oke, the member of the House of Representatives who represents the Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, has publicly urged Governor Ademola Adeleke to halt what he has called blackmail against President Bola Tinubu, former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State, Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Oke, a former member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claimed in a statement issued on Wednesday that the administration of Governor Adeleke was harming the state’s local government administration recipients by allegedly failing to enforce a legitimate Court of Appeal ruling that reinstated elected All Progressives Congress (APC) local government offiThe governor’s legal staff allegedly misled Oke about the Appeal Court ruling that revoked the actions against the elected APC officials. Oke said that he had left the PDP because of Governor Adeleke’s disregard for advise.cials.
“I spoke to you and advised you on what to do on the Court of Appeal judgment reinstating elected APC council chairmen, vice chairmen, and councillors but you ignored me,” Oke stated.
He added, “Only an illiterate lawyer will advise you contrary to what the Court of Appeal ruled, that PDP/OSSIEC approached a wrong court. What else do you need to hear, sir?”
According to Oke, the window for the state government to seek a stay of execution or approach the Supreme Court has closed, stating that the APC would not assist the government in pursuing an appeal at this stage.
Therefore, he encouraged Governor Adeleke to order local government employees who are members of the National Union of Local Government Employees, or NULGE, to return to work and work alongside the APC officials who have been reinstated until the end of their term.
Additionally, Oke recommended that OSSIEC either guarantee that the elected APC officials get compensation for the remaining three years of their term or issue a notice of new elections within 180 days.
Both APC and PDP members are Osun State citizens and should be treated equally and with respect under the law, Oke reminded the governor in a conciliatory manner.
He also expressed sympathy for PDP chairmanship aspirants who, according to him, spent heavily in the build-up to the aborted local government elections, with some reportedly selling property or borrowing funds to contest.
“Some borrowed owo isobo, sold their properties and are now suffering hopelessly,” he lamented.
Oke suggested that the affected PDP aspirants could be absorbed into his administration as Special Assistants (SAs) or Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) to mitigate their losses.
Meanwhile, the Osun State House of Assembly has said any attempt to release Local Government Areas (LGAs) funds into private individuals’ accounts amounts to an endorsement of impunity and a violation of due process, a move that could trigger serious consequences.
This warning formed part of the resolutions adopted by the Assembly in response to circulating reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is allegedly finalising plans to disburse LGA funds into private accounts.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, cautioned the CBN against proceeding with any such illegal disbursement if the reports are found to be true.
He emphasised that, according to the Nigerian Constitution, only the Director of Finance and the Director of Administration and General Services are recognised as authorised signatories to local government accounts.
For their perseverance and cooperation, he thanked the Heads of Local Government Administration (HLAs).
The state’s local government situation is concerning, according to a number of responses from Lawrence Adeoti, Adewumi Adeyemi, Taofeek Olayiwola, Abiola Awoyeye, Laide Ajibola, Kofoworola Adewumi, and Tajudeen Adeyemi.
They pointed out that some imposters brought ammunition to municipal governments in an attempt to destabilize the state.
They went on to say that the local government is subject to laws and that their acts are unconstitutional.
According to Section 7, Subsection (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which declares that “the House of Assembly of a State has the power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the State or any part thereof,” they claimed that the law, not a political party, is at issue.
The lawmakers clarified that the October 15, 2022, local government election was ruled unlawful, void, and null and void by the Federal High Court in Osogbo, and it was also dismissed by the Appeal Court, Akure Division.
They said that every Certificate of Return they had received had been revoked by OSSIEC, the organization that oversaw the election.
They further stated that “they did not permit them to enter the local government because they were fully armed and people had to run for their lives, even though OSSIEC had held another election and declared winners and granted them Certificates of Return.”
In a statement released by Kola Olabisi, the Director of Media and Information, the state’s All Progressives Congress (APC) added its voice to the discussion by criticizing the Osun State PDP caucus in the House of Representatives for interfering in the matter of the reinstatement of APC council chairmen and council members.
Before experimenting with local government allocations, Olabisi also counseled the Osun PDP caucus to account for billions of Naira in constituency monies.
Olabisi insisted that the February 10, 2025, ruling by the Appeal Court, which reinstated the APC council chairs, was unchangeable and legally binding.
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