OSOGBO, Nigeria — The Osun State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party-aligned Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has issued a strong condemnation of a recent protest organized by council chairmen affiliated with the All Progressives Congress (APC). The ALGON leadership characterized the protest as inappropriate and potentially intended to intimidate the judiciary. In a statement released on Thursday, they rejected the APC chairmen’s allegations that the state judiciary had violated court orders regarding local government administration.
The APC council chairmen staged their protest on Wednesday at the entrance of the Osun State High Court in Osogbo, in connection with an ongoing trial involving officials of a commercial bank linked to local government allocations. During the demonstration, participants displayed placards with messages such as “Say no to disobedience of court orders” and “Disrespect for court judgments is an invitation to anarchy.” Kolapo Olayanju, the chairman of the Ejigbo Local Council Development Authority, spoke on behalf of the protesters, accusing the state judiciary and Governor Ademola Adeleke of ignoring legal directives.
In response, the PDP ALGON leadership described the protest as embarrassing and questioned the underlying motives of the APC chairmen. The statement, co-signed by chairman Sarafa Awotunde and secretary Lukman Afolabi, alleged that the APC chairmen had maintained control over council administrations well beyond their official tenure. They claimed, “They have been occupying council offices for about 14 months after their tenure allegedly expired in October 2025 and have continued to collect funds meant for local governments.”
The PDP group further criticized the decision of the APC chairmen to protest at the court premises rather than allowing the legal process to unfold. “Do they want to stampede the judiciary? If they are certain of their claims, they should allow the court of law to determine the matter,” the statement asserted. This disagreement underscores the ongoing conflict between officials elected in the October 2022 local government elections and those elected in February 2025 over control of council areas in Osun State.
The controversy has intensified tensions between the two major political parties in the state and raised significant concerns regarding the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in local government administration. As the legal battle progresses, stakeholders are closely monitoring the situation to see how the courts will resolve the dispute and the potential implications for governance at the grassroots level in Osun State.
Comments are closed for this story.