The Osun State government and the state’s ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chastised the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, for calling on President Bola Tinubu to extend the state’s emergency rule.
Kolapo Alimi, the Osun State Commissioner for Information and Civic Engagement, characterised the state’s proposal for an emergency rule as ruthless, self-serving, and illegal.
In a similar vein, Oladele Bamiji, the spokesperson for the Osun State PDP, charged that Basiru and the APC were trying to seize power through a backdoor after the people rejected them at the polls.
On Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in River State, suspending the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and the members of the state House of Assembly for six months.
The President also appointed a retired Naval chief, Vice Admiral Ibok-ete Ibas, as the administrator of the state.
The President anchored his decision on the protracted political crisis between the governor and the lawmakers, with militants vandalising oil installations as the lawmakers pushed for the governor’s removal from office.
In a post on X.com following the President’s declaration of emergency rule, Basiru wrote: “Rivers State of Emergency: APC praises Tinubu, demands extension to Osun.”
In Osun State, the ruling PDP and the opposition APC are fighting for the control of the local government.
At the height of the crisis about three weeks ago, at least six persons were killed while the local government secretariats have become non-functional after workers withdrew their safety for fear of being caught up in the middle of political violence.
Backing Basiru, the Osun APC urged President Tinubu to extend emergency rule to Osun State.
Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, said the PDP and Governor Ademola Adeleke had committed constitutional breaches that include an alleged attempt to remove the Osun Chief Judge, alleged killings of APC members during the 2022 general elections and disregard for court decisions.
Olabisi said, “The call by the APC National Secretary is in order. There is no constitutional breach that Fubara committed that Adeleke has not done the worst version of it here.
“He made an attempt to remove the Chief Judge; many APC members were killed during the 2022 general elections across the state; he disregarded valid court orders regarding the reinstated LG chairmen in the state.
“Adeleke has committed many constitutional breaches in this state to warrant imposition of emergency rule and we urge President Bola Tinubu to pay attention to what is happening in Osun and stop abuse of office by our governor. Senator Basiru is right and we stand by him.”
But in a strongly-worded statement on Wednesday, the Osun State government rejected the call by Basiru and the APC for a state of emergency in the state as “callous, self-centered and unlawful.”
The state’s Commissioner for Information and Civic Engagement, Kolapo Alimi, insisted that there was a clear difference between the current political development in Rivers and Osun when placed side by side.
Alimi advised Basiru and APC not to truncate the peace and tranquility currently enjoyed in Osun in an attempt to take the reigns of governance through the backdoor.
“I have read what the overambitious and loud-mouthed National Secretary of the APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru, said concerning the need for the declaration of a state of emergency to be extended by President Bola Tinubu as done in Rivers State last night to Osun State.
“While the call, no doubt, stems from a demented mind, it will be recalled that the same Basiru had in the not too recent past made a similar call when I engaged him on a national television station on the Yes-No local government chairmen in Osun State.
“It must, however, be emphasised that not only Basiru alone holds this senseless and obnoxious impression but the entire APC cohorts and their members and followers in Osun state, who, on a daily basis, are scheming for one mischievous device or the other in order to come through the backdoor to take the reigns of governance in Osun State; but by the grace of God and with the support of the people of Osun State for the administration of Ademola Adeleke, all the evil machinations against the people-oriented government of Ademola Adeleke will not see the light of the day.”
The commissioner called on the President to see through the antics of those he called ‘rejected and frustrated politicians’ by rejecting the baseless call for the declaration of a state of emergency in Osun.
