Osun LG Crisis: Adeleke Directs APC Officials To Vacate Secretariats

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has ordered former chairmen and councillors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to immediately vacate all local government secretariats across the state, declaring their continued occupation illegal and contemptuous of subsisting court judgments.

The governor gave the directive in a statewide broadcast on Monday, insisting that the officials no longer have any legal authority to occupy the offices following their removal through judicial processes.

Governor Adeleke recalled that the Federal High Court in Osogbo nullified the local government elections conducted by the APC in November 2022.

According to him, the ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeal on February 10 and further reaffirmed on June 13, 2025, leaving no ambiguity about the legal status of the APC-elected officials.

“The former chairmen and councillors have no legal backing to remain in office, having been removed through valid court rulings,” the governor said.

Adeleke explained that in compliance with the court judgments, the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission conducted fresh local government elections on February 22, 2025.

He said the newly elected chairmen and councillors were duly sworn in the following day and remain the only legitimate occupants of local government secretariats in the state.

“These duly elected officials are the only lawful authorities at the local government level in Osun State,” Adeleke added.

The governor further disclosed that even the APC officials had acknowledged in their court submissions that their tenure expired in October 2025.

He noted that their recent moves seeking tenure extension only underscored the fact that they no longer possess a lawful mandate to govern.

“Their actions amount to a clear admission that they have no legal standing to occupy the offices,” Adeleke said.

Governor Adeleke accused the former APC officials of forcefully occupying the local government secretariats with the alleged support of armed police personnel, reportedly acting on the instructions of former governor Gboyega Oyetola.

He also condemned reports that local government workers who attempted to resume their duties were assaulted and harassed.

“Any act of intimidation or harassment of workers is unacceptable, constitutes an abuse of power and poses a serious threat to democratic governance,” the governor warned.

Calling on residents of Osun State to remain calm, Adeleke assured that his administration would continue to uphold court judgments, restore legality at the grassroots, and protect the rights and safety of citizens.

“Our government will not tolerate lawlessness. We will uphold the rule of law, restore order at the local government level and ensure the safety of our people,” the governor said.

The directive, he added, was part of efforts to safeguard democratic institutions and ensure that governance at the grassroots operates strictly within the confines of the law.