A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, has urged the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to abandon any plans to declare a state of emergency in Osun State.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Sowunmi dismissed the suggestion as baseless, saying, “It was rumoured that some fellows are deceiving themselves to declare a state of emergency in Osun. For what and why? (Ex-President Goodluck) Jonathan did not declare a state of emergency when the Vice President (Kashim Shettima) was governor in Borno, even with all the shenanigans of Chibok.”
The call for emergency rule came from APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru, who on Monday urged the Federal Government to intervene over the ongoing local government crisis in Osun.
However, Sowunmi insisted that such a move was unnecessary, warning that the APC should abandon any notion of silencing the opposition to create a one-party state.
Under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, a state of emergency is declared in situations of national danger or disaster, allowing the President to bypass normal constitutional procedures to maintain order.
Tensions in Osun escalated on Monday when clashes between APC and PDP members over the control of local government councils left at least six people dead.
Before the violence erupted, Governor Ademola Adeleke had raised the alarm on Sunday, accusing APC members, backed by security agencies, of attempting to seize council secretariats. He also urged President Bola Tinubu to caution his minister, Gboyega Oyetola, over the looming conflict.
Sowunmi criticised Tinubu’s response, arguing that the President should have intervened when Adeleke first raised concerns. He maintained that the PDP governor would not be bullied by the APC government at the centre.
“The governor was screaming that things were not looking normal. Please call Oyetola to order, but the next thing we see is brigandage,” Sowunmi said.
“When he raised the alarm, everything humanly possible ought to have been done to support him as the chief security officer of the state to prevent this bloodbath.”
Sowunmi also rejected the idea that Nigeria could become a one-party state, stating, “It can never be a one-party state.”
The crisis unfolds as political tensions rise in the South-West ahead of the next elections. Oyetola, who lost to Adeleke in the 2022 governorship election, remains eligible for another four-year term if he secures enough votes in the next poll.