Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has dismissed as “fake news” claims that the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, reinstated local government chairmen and councillors elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2022.
The governor maintained that the APC officials who occupied local council secretariats across the state remained sacked following an earlier ruling by the Federal High Court. He vowed to enforce the rule of law to remove what he described as “illegal occupants” from the council offices.
Adeleke made this clarification while addressing the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers in Osogbo, amid ongoing tensions over control of local government councils.
According to a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke emphasized that he was not responsible for removing the APC officials from office. He explained that a Federal High Court ruling in October 2022 nullified their tenure while his predecessor, Adegboyega Oyetola, was still in office.
He accused the APC of attempting to destabilize the state, alleging that the opposition party was trying to “illegally take over the council secretariats” by misinterpreting a Court of Appeal ruling that, according to him, contained no consequential order reinstating the sacked officials.
Adeleke also urged traditional rulers to educate their subjects on the facts surrounding the controversy.
“We should not allow fake news to be weaponized to destroy our dear state,” he said.
The Chairman of the Osun Traditional Council, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, expressed concern over the violence that had erupted due to the crisis. He called for peace and urged all parties to resolve their disputes without resorting to conflict.
Meanwhile, the APC has accused Governor Adeleke of disregarding the Court of Appeal judgment, which the party claims reinstated its elected council chairmen and councillors on February 10, 2025.
In a statement issued by its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the APC alleged that Adeleke was deliberately undermining the court’s decision.
The party further claimed that the governor was backing lawsuits filed by local government officials from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who were elected in the February 22, 2025, local government elections.
The Osun APC also criticized the state chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) for what it described as partisan involvement in the crisis. It accused the union of siding with the PDP-backed council officials, whom the APC insists have no legal standing following the appellate court’s judgment.
