“TELL YOUR NEPHEW TO STOP DISRUPTING MY GOVERNANCE WITH ILLEGAL DIRECTIVES”

In a press statement released by Governor Ademola Adeleke on his X (Twitter) account on 16th February, 2025, and addressed to president Bola Tinubu and netizens; the minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, in active collaboration with the Osun State commissioner of police, the Osun State director of DSS and the State Commander of the Civil Defence Corps, have been carrying out events that may cause mayhem in the state.

According to him, Oyetola who is also a nephew of President Tinubu, has been issuing illegal directives with the president’s name, which the security operatives have been obeying. Oyetola allegedly took over the Local governments forcefully on Monday and reinstated the council of chairmen that were sacked by court judgment in 2022, using a different court decision which according to Adeleke, has no consequential order.

The said council chairmen had already been sacked even before governor Adeleke was sworn in as governor, contrary to the narrative given that they were sacked by the governor’s executive order.

BACKGROUND STORY

Evidently, this matter is rooted in the 2022 Osun State gubernatorial election, when ex-governor Gboyega Oyetola was voted out of office and Senator Adeleke, voted in. Seemingly, after the 2022 governorship election did not go as planned for Gboyega Oyetola as he was defeated by Adeleke, he tried to maneuver his way to keep his claws stuck in the affairs of the state. Just few days to vacating the office, the House of Assembly commenced deliberations on passing two new Bills into law, First, ‘Osun Local Government Area Creation and Administration Amendment No 5 Bill’ and second, ‘Osun Independent Electoral Commission Bill 2022’, both sponsored by the chairman Local Government Committee, Babatunde Komolafe and the state deputy governor, Benedict Alabi respectively. 

According to the chairman of the state’s People’s Democratic Party, Prince Diran Odeyemi, the move was an opportunity to reverse the six months extension of the tenures of the local government chairmen. This was to make the tenure come to an end immediately and not after six months, so that new elections can be conducted hurriedly before the new governor assumes office, and by so doing, making the APC continue to control the Local governments even when PDP is in power.

Moreover, this plan was short-lived as the court, under the judgement of Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Federal high court I Osogbo, declared the local government election conducted by the Osun state Independent Electoral Commission as null and void because it was held in contravention of sections 29 and 32 of the electoral act, 2022. The judgement was given following a suit filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to stop the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) from conducting the Osun October 15 Local Government election. 

In respect to this, after the governor was sworn into government on 27th November, 2022, he replaced the sacked LG chairmen with the most senior career heads across all the local government areas. 

After the chairmen were sacked however, they went together with Oyetola to challenge their fates in court, to which the Osun state high court ruled out of their favor, granting the Adeleke-led administration to continue with their plans to replace the sacked local government chairmen.

NOW

Oyetola and his party members headed to the appeal court which ruled on the 10th of February, 2025 and overturned the sacking directives, ordering the reinstatement of the sacked chairmen. However, the Osun State government released a press statement which debunked the news that Court of Appeal reinstated the sacked council chairmen, and urged the security operatives to arrest and prosecute anybody who tries to disrupt the peace being enjoyed in the state. This apparently was not taken obediently by Oyetola, who allegedly continued to issue directives to reinstate the sacked chairmen.

Moreover, in response to the public call-out by Adeleke, Oyetola denied the allegations in a statement issued by the minister’s media office and released to the journalist on Sunday 16th February, 2025

It reads:

“For the four years he governed Osun, he gave a good account of himself as a man of peace, a respecter of the rule of law, and one not given to violence. If he were given to violence, he would certainly have fought back violently in 2022 when he was brazenly rigged out. Again in 2022, when governor Ademola Adeleke employed extrajudicial means to sack democratically elected council officials, Oyetola, as the leader of the party, never preached violence, instead, he led the party to court.

Thankfully, his party won at the appeal court last week, and as a peace loving leader, he appealed to security agencies to enforce the judgment of the court. how can such a man be accused of a destabilization plot? I think anyone accusing Oyetola of violence needs to have his/her head properly examined!”

IN ANOTHER NEWS

Osun APC have accused Gov. Adeleke of misleading the public on appeal court judgment, employing sentiments and trying to attract public pity. According to the Osun APC chairman and Legal Adviser, Governor Adeleke has refused to comply to the appeal court’s order which is clear and unambiguous, deliberately to avoid enforcement. They further advised members of the public to “ignore the misrepresentation of facts that the governor is attempting to create with his petty actions”

LET’S GET THIS TEA!

• So, in 2022, Osun INEC declared Adeleke the winner of the Osun State Governorshi Election after winning 17 out of 30 states. 

• Oyetola challenged the result of the election on grounds that the election was rigged, and the Osun State Election Petitio Tribunal ruled in his support.

• Adeleke then appealed the ruling at the supreme court, he won and his victory was retained.

• Before Oyetola vacated office, he allegedly tried to influence the Local Government chairmen elections by passing bills which would reverse their 6 months extension, so that their tenure end can come quickly and another election can be conducted before Adeleke assumes power, and consequently making the APC control the LGs.

• The election happened but was nullified days after by the Federal High court, and the elected Chairmen, sacked. Adeleke assumed power days after and replaced the sacked Chairmen.

• Oyetola and his party members headed to court of appeal to argue their case and reportedly won. On the same day, Osun state government issued a statement debunking the supposed victory and denied the reinstatement of the sacked chairmen.

• Oyetola then allegedly started issuing directives to forcefully reinstate the Chairmen.

•  When Adeleke saw that security operatives are listening to Oyetola and carrying out his commands, he cried out to the global community and President Bola Tinubu who doubles as Oyetola’s uncle, to stop every from of support he might be giving his nephew.

Actually,  the seeming power tussle has been going on since Adeleke was voted in, in other words, he has known no rest from APC people’s hands. In my honest opinion, Oyetola and his minions should rest!