In a surprising turn of events, the Osun State Government has confirmed that the planned local government elections will proceed as scheduled, despite the recent advisory from the Inspector General of Police to suspend the polls.
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had earlier advised the Osun State Government to put the elections on hold, citing credible intelligence that suggested a high likelihood of violence and significant security threats. The police statement highlighted that various groups, including political elements and other interest parties, were mobilizing to instigate unrest and disrupt public peace.
However, after verifying with the state government, the Osun State Attorney General’s office has now confirmed that the legal framework supports the conduct of the local government elections. This decision by the state government has sparked mixed reactions among the public, with some supporting the move while others express concerns over the potential for unrest.
Osun Democrats for Democracy Accuses Police of Partisan Role, Calls for Peaceful Local Government Elections
In the midst of this development, the Osun Democrats for Democracy (ODD) has accused the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) of producing “fake security and intelligence reports” to support the “illegality” being spearheaded by the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party.
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The group’s Director of Operations, Adeyemo Adeyefa, stated that the police advice to the Osun State government to suspend the planned local government elections is a “partisan suggestion” from an institution that has become a “wing of the APC.”
Adeyefa refuted the grounds cited by the police for the advisory, describing them as “untenable and hypocritical.” He alleged that the police themselves “abandoned their constitutional mandate” by escorting sacked council chairmen to illegally take over local government secretariats, despite the absence of a reinstatement order from the Court of Appeal.
The ODD director further accused the police of ignoring the subsisting judgment of the Appeal Court that had sacked the council chairmen, arguing that the “so-called insecurity was orchestrated by the police in connivance with the APC to derail the Osun state government.”
Adeyefa stated that Osun is a safe state and the local government elections can be conducted peacefully if the police stop “supporting illegality.” He drew a comparison to the situation in Rivers State, where local elections were conducted even when the police pulled out, and urged the Osun people to stand by the rule of law.
Regarding the advice from the Attorney General of the Federation, the ODD director described it as “even more faulty,” stating that the AGF, as a former Oyetola lawyer, is an “interested party” who is “serving the interest of his party” and has no power to stop a state election.
In conclusion, the ODD called the police’s position “self-serving, illegal, undemocratic, hypocritical and unacceptable,” and advised the Osun State government to ignore the advisory and proceed with the local government elections.
Newspot Nigeria will continue to monitor the developments in Osun State and provide updates on the unfolding situation.
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