Adeleke replaces sacked APC LG chairmen with civil servants

*Warns against violence

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun has directed career heads of local government areas (LGAs) and area councils development areas (ACDAs) to take charge of their councils from the sacked council chairmen and councilors.

This is coming as the governor warned against violence across motor parks in the state.

In a directive, the governor’s spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, said this should be done with immediate effect. The statement added, “Governor Adeleke also directed the most senior career heads across all the local government areas to take charge of their councils. This is in compliance with the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo that sacked the council d local government chairmen and councilors.”

On Friday, Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Osogbo Division of the Federal High Court declared the local government election conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission null and void.

Mr Ayo-Emmanuel delivered the judgment based on a PDP suit, asking the court to stop OSIEC from conducting the Osun October 15 local government election.

The judge ruled that the council election OSIEC conducted contravened sections 29 and 32 of the Electoral Act, 2022.

Reacting to the ruling, the chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Osun, Abiodun Idowu, called on its members to remain calm and peaceful.

Mr Idowu said the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and all the chairmen across the 69 LGAs, ACDAs had filed a ‘Notice of Appeal and Stay of Execution’ against the ruling.

Governor Adeleke was sworn in on November 27 at the end of the tenure of Gboyega Oyetola of the APC who lost his reelection bid.

In a statement by Olawale Rasheed, the governor directed all security agencies to maintain the status quo across the motor parks.

There had been reports of attacks between rival gangs within the transport unions in the state.

A pregnant staff member of the union, identified as Doyin and an official of the National Union Of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Osun State, were allegedly beaten by factional members of the union who went berserk while trying to take over some motor parks with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.

In the process of the attack, it was reported that the state secretariat of the Union located at the Sadiat Hotel area of the state capital, was attacked and the Financial Secretary of the Union, Sunday Akinwale, was badly injured.

“All union leaders and their supporters are hereby directed to remain calm and bring any grievances to the State Government for resolution.

“Security agencies are consequently directly to maintain law and order,” the statement read in part.