Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has accused his predecessor and Marine and Blue Economy Minister, Gboyega Oyetola of plotting anarchy in the state.
Specifically, he accused the minister of orchestrating plans to incite chaos by enforcing a non-existent court judgment regarding local government elections.
He based his allegations on intelligent reports, which he said has revealed that some suspected hoodlums are planning to take over the state secretariat on Monday .
In a press conference held at the Government House in Osogbo, Adeleke alleged that Oyetola is collaborating with state security chiefs to disrupt public order.
His words “I called this press conference to alert the national and global audience about a deliberate plot to create chaos and anarchy in Osun state.
” I invite you all to expose a fascist anti-democratic agenda designed to enforce a non-existing court judgment on our local governments.
” 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.
“Before I continue this address, let me affirm that I know Mr. President 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.
“I, however, regret to inform Mr. President and the public that Mr Gboyega Oyetola has concluded an arrangement to cause mayhem in Osun state starting from Monday.
“He is issuing illegal directives to security operatives to enforce illegality simply because he is the nephew of Mr. President.
“I chose to alert the nation before my people are killed or maimed by a minister dropping the name of Mr. President in connivance with the Osun state security operatives obeying unlawful orders.”
He said the controversy centers on the status of local government chairmen and councilors elected during the 2022 polls.
Adeleke emphasized that these officials were removed from office by two separate Federal High Court judgments prior to his inauguration, contrary to claims that he dismissed them via executive order.
He further clarified that while an appeal against one of these judgments was partially successful, it did not include any consequential orders reinstating the sacked officials. The other judgment remains unchallenged and in effect.
He expressed concern over reports that Oyetola has directed state security agencies to enforce the disputed court order, potentially leading to a forceful takeover of local government secretariats.
He called on President Tinubu to intervene, urging him to instruct national security agencies to disregard any illegal directives from Oyetola.
The governor also appealed to the public and the international community to hold Oyetola and the state’s security chiefs accountable for any potential breakdown of law and order resulting from these actions.
This development follows a recent Court of Appeal ruling that struck out a suit challenging the 2022 local government elections but did not mandate the reinstatement of the dismissed officials.
“Despite this, reports indicate that the affected All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen are planning to resume office, leading to heightened tensions in the state.
“As the situation unfolds, residents and observers are closely monitoring the state’s political climate, hoping for a peaceful resolution to the escalating crisis.”
