Osun APC Accuses Governor Adeleke of Undermining Appeal Court Ruling

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of engaging in “executive rascality” aimed at frustrating the implementation of a Court of Appeal judgment which reinstated APC-elected local government chairmen and councillors.

Addressing a press conference at the Ileri-Oluwa Campaign Office in Osogbo on Sunday, a former Commissioner for Information, Sunday Akere, alleged that the Adeleke-led administration was employing non-state actors and compromised judicial processes to obstruct the court’s verdict, delivered on February 10, 2025.

“The last two months in the state have been characterised by executive recklessness and judicial abuse to undermine the Court of Appeal judgment,” Akere stated.

He claimed that the governor’s public remarks on February 16, in which he allegedly declared he could not guarantee the safety of the reinstated officials, incited violence that led to attacks resulting in seven fatalities, including that of Remi Abbas.

Akere also accused the government of inducing the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to withdraw services from all 30 local councils and the Modakeke Area Office, thereby disrupting essential services across the state.

“The Adeleke administration has turned its back on the rule of law, resorting instead to coercion and manipulation,” he alleged.

Further, the APC accused the state government of vandalising primary health facilities by replacing plaques installed by the previous administration with new ones bearing the current governor’s name.

Akere also warned of an alleged plot to obtain a mandamus order from the Osun State High Court in Ikirun on April 17, which he claimed would be used to facilitate the forcible reinstatement of “illegally-selected PDP chairmen” into council offices.

According to him, the planned operation involves deploying thugs dressed as Amotekun operatives to eject APC chairmen under the guise of executing a court order.

He also referenced what he described as “kangaroo judgments” in Ilesa allegedly aimed at legitimising the PDP’s claims to local government control.

The party further accused sections of the judiciary of bias and claimed some previous court rulings were authored outside courtrooms.

He said petitions had been submitted to the National Judicial Council over what the party described as “judicial rascality” and vowed to submit additional ones if further abuses occurred.

Akere called on the judiciary to remain impartial, cautioning against issuing “black market injunctions” that could destabilise the state.

“It is a basic legal principle that a lower court cannot override a higher court’s ruling, especially that of the Court of Appeal,” he emphasised.

The APC called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the National Security Adviser (NSA) to investigate and prevent what it termed a coordinated plan to spark unrest in the state.

Akere urged Governor Adeleke to seek redress at the Supreme Court if dissatisfied with the appellate ruling, rather than, in his words, laying the groundwork for crisis.

“The judiciary is the last hope of the common man. If it is compromised, our democracy is in serious danger,” he warned.

He concluded by warning that any attempt to forcefully remove the APC’s chairmen could lead to a constitutional and security crisis across the state.

Adeleke’s Spokesperson Denies Allegations, Says APC Is Avoiding Legal Consequences

In response, Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, dismissed the APC’s claims as political blackmail and misinformation.

He stated that the governor had not initiated any court proceedings and had directed elected PDP chairmen and councillors to uphold peace and abide by the rule of law.

“The APC is attempting to escape the legal consequences of their unconstitutional occupation of local government offices,” Rasheed said in a statement.

He added that the APC was facing three separate lawsuits — from the PDP-aligned Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), the NULGE, and the All Peoples Party (APP), all challenging the APC’s continued stay in office despite a subsisting court judgment sacking its “Yes/No chairmen.”

“In all these cases, Governor Adeleke did not and has no intention of instituting any court action,” Rasheed noted, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to lawful conduct.

He described the APC’s alarm over alleged plans to use violence as “mere fantasy” and a “failed attempt” to avoid accountability.

“The validly elected council chairmen and councillors have resorted to the courts, while the APC has chosen the path of self-help and propaganda,” Rasheed said.

He urged the APC to focus on its legal defence and stop dragging the governor into its “self-imposed and self-inflicted moral, legal, and political injuries.”