PDP Seeks President Tinubu’s Intervention In Osun LG Crisis

By Ayodele Oni

The  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Osun State has maintained that only an intervention by President Bola Tinubu would end the crisis at the Local Government Councils in the State.

State Chairman of the party, Sunday Bisi, who spoke in Osogbo on Wednesday, also blamed the root cause of the crisis on former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.

According to him, the lingering Local Government Council crisis in the State is a manifestation of the booby trap set for Governor Ademola Adeleke by his predecessor, Gboyega Oyetola.

He stated that Oyetola conducted Council Poll after he lost re-election in 2022, which was the foundation for the logjam being witnessed at the third tier of government in the state.

Bisi argued that Oyetola ought not to have conducted the Local Government Election

because the Electoral Act required a notice period of 360 days before the conduct of any Local Government Election in the country.

He bemoaned that Oyetola, the current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, only gave a 60-day notice on August 15, 2022, thus violating legal procedures.

Insisting that the ongoing crisis at the Local Government Councils is a deliberate ploy orchestrated by Oyetola to make Osun ungovernable for Adeleke and to stoke violence, the PDP boss said the result of the illegal council poll is the political tension currently ravaging Osun, 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.

“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.”

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 interprete 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.

“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 member.

He therefore called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the ongoing political impasse at the local government, by directing all parties involved to abide by the rule of law.