The Osun State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sunday Bisi, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in the ongoing political impasse in the state.
This is as Bisi attributed the ongoing crisis at the local government councils to a deliberate ploy orchestrated by former state Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.
Bisi made this appeal at the 46th edition of the FRONTLINERS, a current affairs programme organised by the Osun Stare chapter of the League of Veteran Journalists, LVJ, on Wednesday in Osogbo
The Osun State PDP chairman said the actions of the former governor in the last days of his administration laid the foundation for the current political tension in the state, particularly at the local government level.
“It was after the defeat of Adegboyega Oyetola as Osun governor that he deemed it fit to conduct local government elections, despite being in government for 12 years. The entire system of local government administration was left moribund until then, and the election he conducted was nothing but a booby trap for the PDP.”
While stating that the Electoral Act required a notice period of 360 days before the conduct of any local government election in the country, Bisi lamented that former Governor Oyetola only gave a 60-day notice on August 15, 2022, thus violating legal procedures.
He said, “Following the announcement of the election, the PDP, Action Peoples Party, APP, and other political parties challenged the process in court. We approached the Federal High Court and the court upheld our position, declaring the election invalid,” Bisi said.
Explaining that the All Progressives Congress, APC, had filed an appeal against the Federal High Court judgment, Bisi maintained that the Appeal Court’s judgement delivered on February 10, 2025 did not reinstate the sacked APC local government officials.
He noted that despite the legal clarity, confusion had persisted over which judgment should be recognised.
“The CTC (Certified True Copy) came out in black and white. You don’t have to be a judge to interpret that judgment. Even the APC cannot point to any part of the ruling that favours their prayers.
“All the Appeal Court judgments are valid, and if anyone is dissatisfied, the proper thing is to approach the Supreme Court,” Bisi added.
According to him, “the political tension arising from attempts by the APC to retake control of local councils led to violent clashes. The resultant chaos as a result of taking over the local government led to the death of our members and even one of their members.
“In reaction to the unrest, Governor Ademola Adeleke issued directive that no PDP member or elected official should enter the council secretariats until the matter is legally settled.
“Our legal team has served the relevant parties the Appeal Court’s judgment but it is clear they are only looking for an excuse to declare a state of emergency in Osun.”
Bisi asserted that the PDP remained committed to pursuing justice both and politically.
