Osun APC, PDP trade blame over LG crisis after meeting AGF
The lingering crisis in Osun State’s local government administration has reignited tensions between the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party following a meeting with the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
For nearly six weeks, operations at the 30 local government areas and the area office have remained paralyzed after the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress directed workers to stay off duty over anticipated unrest.
At the heart of the dispute is the enforcement of a Court of Appeal ruling by the Akure Division, which upheld the appeal filed by APC-backed officials elected in the October 15, 2022, local government polls.
The officials had been sacked by the Federal High Court in Osogbo on November 25, 2022.
Although the APC-installed chairmen and councillors have resumed office, civil servants in the local government secretariats have refused to return to work.
In a statement on Thursday, Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, claimed that a delegation sent by Governor Ademola Adeleke to the AGF’s office to plead the government’s case met a dead end. He alleged that the federal government had reaffirmed the legal standing of the APC-elected officials.
The statement read, “It was learnt that last week, Governor Adeleke sent a powerful delegation, led by one of his most senior political appointees, to meet with the Attorney General of the Federation to formally brief him on the result of the purported local government council elections held on February 22, 2025, despite legal advice against the exercise.
“Reports indicate that the outcome of the meeting has been a major source of worry for the Adeleke administration, which has been controlling local government funds without duly elected officials in place.”
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The APC accused Adeleke of deceiving PDP supporters, urging him to accept that the local government administration was now firmly in the hands of elected APC officials.
But in a swift reaction, Osun PDP chairman, Sunday Bisi, dismissed the claims as propaganda, accusing the APC of unlawfully forcefully taking over local councils.
Bisi insisted that the APC was misleading the public and failing to accept the reality that its control of the councils was no longer tenable.
“At the beginning of this crisis, we warned the public about the illegality being perpetrated by the Osun APC. No court reinstated their sacked ‘Yes or No’ officials as they falsely claimed. Now, they are back at the same Court of Appeal, desperately trying to revive an appeal that had already affirmed the nullification of the October 15, 2022, local government election,” Bisi stated.
“Instead of throwing around baseless claims, the question the APC should answer is simple—if the judgment sacking its officials was not valid, why is it back in court trying to challenge it?
“We are also concerned that the APC continues to misuse the name of the Attorney General of the Federation to justify its assault on the judiciary by disregarding a subsisting court ruling.
“Contrary to the lies peddled by the APC, the documents presented to the AGF, including judgments nullifying the 2022 elections and compelling OSSIEC to conduct fresh polls in February 2025, are in the public domain.”
As the political standoff deepens, local government workers remain caught in the crossfire, with no clear resolution in sight.
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