Breaking: Gov Adeleke Lists PDP Members Who Died in Gun Battle with APC, Issues Fresh Order

• Osun governor Ademola Adeleke has ordered that all local government secretariats in the state should be locked and security agencies should take over
• Governor Adeleke also announced that four members of the PDP died in the clash and many others were reportedly injured
• Public affairs analyst, Oladotun Hassan has blamed age-long hatred between APC and PDP for the state's crisis

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state has disclosed that no less than five members of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during a clash with members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the leadership of the local governments in the state.

The crisis was a result of the dispute between Governor Ademola Adeleke and the immediate past governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola, who is currently the minister of Marine and Blue Economy. The duo were at loggerheads over the return of the sacked APC executive chairmen to office after the Court of Appeal reinstated them.

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The APC executives resumed office in the early hours of Monday, boosting their regaining control of the local governments as they celebrated their reinstatement. However, the returning APC executives were confronted and resisted by PDP executives across the local governments in the state.

This confrontation between the APC and PDP members in the state witnessed gunshots and the use of other violent weapons, leading to the death and killings of several others.

Adeleke has opened up on Osun political crisis

Speaking on the crisis in a tweet on Monday, February 17, Governor Adeleke disclosed that five members of the PDP died in the clash. He said two died in Boripe and another two died in Ola Oluwa while one lost his life in Ikire local governments.

Governor Adeleke then directed that all Osun residents, including politicians across party lines, desist from the local government as he ordered that all the councils should be locked and security agencies should take charge of the premises.

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While describing the move by the APC members as a "failed illegal takeover", the governor said his decision was due to the withdrawal of service by the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) across the state.

The statement reads in part:

"Two of those members are from Iragbiji, Boripe local government. Another two were killed at Ola Oluwa Local government. Another one was lost at Ikire. We must stop further bloodshed.

I have directed security agencies to take charge of all local government secretariats."

Read his tweet here:

Analyst blames APC, PDP for "garage fight" politics

A public affairs analyst, Barrister Oladotun Hassan, has condemned the ongoing crisis in Osun state, blaming both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for their roles in the violence.

Hassan, in an interview with Legit.ng said:

"The Osun debacle crisis is quite unfortunate. It proves to say that our democracy is not yet matured beyond political rivalry and attrition. People see power in this part of the world like a garage fight. This ought not to be."

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The barrister attributed the crisis to the age-long hatred between the two parties, which has permeated the entire political structure in the state.

He also criticised Governor Ademola Adeleke and ex- governor Adegboyega Oyetola for interfering with local government autonomy, saying they should stay off and allow them to breathe.

The analyst emphasised the need for the rule of law to take center stage, adding that anyone found culpable for the murder of innocent people should be arrested and prosecuted. He also called on President Bola Tinubu to address the issue, rather than declaring a state of emergency.

According to him:

"If the governor is found culpable, he should be impeached. If it is Oyetola, he should be summoned to come and answer the query. Because you don't motivate your followers to turn the state to be ungovernable. Making the state into a pad of war will not make any development to occur in Osun State. It is high time the royal fathers within Osun State need to rise up to the issue in order to calm this anomaly going on."

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"The governor doesn't have a right to shut down all the local governments. He needs to set out law enforcement agents and bring the place to calmness. We need to address it from the point of constitutionality and give relevant independence to the local government."

Ultimately, Hassan stressed the importance of holding those in power accountable for their actions, saying:

"Look at the people that died, the governor was just counting five dead bodies as if he's just reading the newspaper. If it were to be the child of the governor or a cousin or a close relation to Oyetola, would they have addressed the issue in that manner? So it is quite important that we hold the people at the helms of power accountable for their excesses. For me, it is high time no one should be spared in this.”

Adeleke asked Tinubu to caution his nephew

Legit.ng earlier reported that Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to warn his nephew.

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Ademola accused Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola of planning to cause mayhem starting Monday, February 17, 2025.

The governor alleged that Oyetola issued illegal directives to security operatives because he is the nephew of President Tinubu.

Editorial assistant Ololade Olatimehin provided exclusive commentary from a public affairs analyst for this report.

Source: Legit.ng