Osun LG Crisis Deepens: Adeleke Accuses Oyetola, Police of Enforcing ‘Illegal Siege’ on Council Secretariats, Warns Against Tenure Elongation

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Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has issued one of his strongest political condemnations yet, denouncing what he described as an “illegal siege” of local government secretariats by sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen and councillors, whom he accused of clinging to office without any lawful mandate.

In a fiery statewide broadcast on Sunday, Adeleke alleged that the continued occupation of council facilities is being sustained with the backing of former governor Gboyega Oyetola and armed police personnel, warning that the situation represents a grave threat to democracy, constitutional order, and grassroots governance in Osun State.

The governor said the crisis is rooted in the October 2022 local government elections conducted under the previous APC administration, which were nullified for violating legal requirements. According to Adeleke, the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo voided the poll in November 2022, a judgment that was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal on February 10, 2025, and reaffirmed on June 13, 2025.

“I did not remove these APC chairmen and councillors. The courts did,” Adeleke declared. “From that moment, they ceased to have any lawful authority to govern.”

He explained that in strict compliance with a directive of the Osun State High Court, fresh local government elections were conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) on February 22, 2025. The duly elected chairmen and councillors—largely from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)—were sworn in the following day and, he said, remain the only legally recognised local government officials in the state.

Governor Adeleke stressed that Nigerian law does not permit tenure elongation under any guise, citing Supreme Court precedents, including the landmark case involving former Oyo State Governor, Rashidi Ladoja. He added that even court filings by the APC, including submissions before the Supreme Court, as well as admissions by the Attorney-General of the Federation, acknowledged that no APC local government official had a valid claim to office beyond October 22, 2025.
“Their recent attempt to seek an extension from the courts is itself an admission that their tenure has expired,” he said.

Despite what he described as “clear and incontrovertible” legal positions, Adeleke accused the APC officials of forcibly occupying local government secretariats with the alleged protection of armed police acting on the instructions of former governor Oyetola.
He cited a recent incident in which local government workers who attempted to resume duty after the expiration of the disputed tenure were allegedly assaulted, harassed, and intimidated by police officers and APC supporters.

“This is not law enforcement; it is the weaponisation of state power against democracy,” the governor said, describing the development as a dangerous abuse of authority.
The prolonged standoff, Adeleke warned, has paralysed grassroots administration across Osun State. He disclosed that more than ₦130 billion in federal statutory allocations to local governments have been withheld since February 2025, forcing the state government to absorb the burden of salary payments amid mounting economic pressures.

Appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he insisted bears no responsibility for the crisis, Adeleke called for urgent federal intervention to end the occupation of council secretariats and facilitate the release of the withheld funds.

He also urged Osun residents, civil society organisations, pro-democracy advocates, and Nigerians at large to rise in defence of constitutional governance, assuring that his administration remains committed to peace, due process, and the rule of law.

The address comes against the backdrop of a prolonged political confrontation between the PDP-led Osun State Government and APC factions, marked by legal battles and conflicting interpretations of court judgments.

As tensions persist across the state’s 30 local government areas, the crisis now presents a defining test for Nigeria’s democratic institutions—whether the rule of law will prevail or be overwhelmed by impunity.