The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has announced that its reinstated chairmen have issued a 72-hour ultimatum for local government workers to resume work across the state.
According to the party, any local government worker who fails to return to work by Wednesday, February 26, will be dismissed.
The APC also accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of attempting to incite violence through non-state actors, despite his directive to newly elected council chairmen to avoid local government secretariats. This comes after Adeleke held local government elections over the weekend, despite a warning from the Attorney General of the Federation.
In a statement released on Monday, February 24, by Kola Olabisi, the party’s Director of Media and Information, the APC criticized the governor’s directive as deceitful, alleging that Adeleke intends to use the Amotekun Corps and militants allegedly brought in from Oyo State and the Niger Delta to target the “legally” reinstated chairmen and councillors.
“Intelligence available to us suggests that the governor’s political faction, currently led by Dr. Deji Adeleke, is displeased with the national embarrassment caused by the election debacle,” the statement read.
The APC also claimed that the directive for the illegal chairmen to stay away from council secretariats was merely a “smokescreen” and accused Adeleke and his party of plotting to destabilize the state and frame the reinstated chairmen.
Furthermore, the APC implicated Senator Bala Muhammed, Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde in an alleged plan to destabilize Osun. According to the APC, Makinde mobilized thugs from Ibadan to Osogbo during the inauguration of the illegal council chairmen, while Muhammed supposedly secured support from a PDP governor to deploy militants from the Niger Delta to the state.
The APC further alleged that militants, disguised as security personnel, were being positioned to abduct opposition members and that the Amotekun Corps, led by retired police officer CSP Adekunle Omoyele, would provide cover for these militants by supplying them with hooded clothing to conceal their identities.
“We urge security agents to investigate the official quarters of the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, where suspected cultists, hoodlums, and militants are reportedly being trained,” the statement added.
In a separate development, the Osun State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) reaffirmed its earlier directive for all local government workers in the state to withdraw their services due to the ongoing political unrest in their workplaces.
The NLC, in a statement by its chairman, Christopher Arapasopo, emphasized the priority of workers’ safety and vowed to continue defending workers’ rights and interests, despite attempts to silence them.
“The Osun State Council of the NLC remains resolute in its commitment to defending the rights and interests of workers and the masses. We shall not be cowed or intimidated by these desperate attempts to silence us. We stand firm in our resolve to uphold justice, fairness, and the rule of law in our beloved state,” the statement concluded.
