Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, raised the alarm on Thursday over an alleged plot by elements within the opposition parties to launch vicious attacks on local government secretariats across the state, including an orchestrated onslaught on leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and top government officials.
He said credible reports at his disposal showed that some desperate politicians were planning to cause mayhem in the state ahead of the February 22 local council poll, warning that any attempt to test the will of his government in sustaining peace and security will be dealt with within the ambit of the law.
A statement issued by Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, noted that some elements in the opposition were plotting to disrupt the forthcoming local government elections and create an atmosphere of chaos to push for the declaration of a state of emergency, saying, “Anybody apprehended over the plot will face the full wrath of the law.”
While describing Osun as one of the most peaceful states in the federation, the governor decried what he termed desperation among the opposition politicians, especially “the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is manifesting in their concoction of fake court rulings, deliberate fabrication of fake news, and the condemnable building of false narratives instead of facing the electorate on February 22nd.”
Adeleke further contended that there is a subsisting court judgment secured by the APP, which nullified the kangaroo local government election held in 2022, declaring that the judgment remains valid in law and reality.
The statement affirmed that the judgment of a Court of Appeal in Akure was about the filing of court processes by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has nothing to do with the subsisting judgment that sacked the illegally elected council chairmen and councillors of the APC.
“I have issued stern directives to the security agencies to secure the state and apprehend any troublemaker. There is no legal basis for any plot to take over the local government system in Osun State. Elections to fill the offices of chairmen and councillors are scheduled for February 22nd.
“Anybody who tests our resolve to sustain law and order in Osun State will have himself to blame. As the Chief Security Officer for the state, I am determined to deploy all available machinery of the state to maintain peace and punish troublemakers.”
Meanwhile, efforts to get the reaction of the APC director of media and information in Osun, Kola Olabisi, were unsuccessful as calls placed to his mobile phone rang out, just as messages forwarded to him were not replied to.
Also, when our correspondent contacted the state chairman of the APC, Tajudeen Lawal, and requested a text message on the inquiry, which was not responded to as of the time of filing this report.
The Guardian
