Osun LG election: Coalition urges Adeleke, OSSIEC to postpone Saturday polls

Rights groups, under the aegis of the Coalition for Good Governance (CGG), have called on the Osun State Governor, Mr Ademola Adeleke, to put on hold the local government polls slated for this Saturday due to the mounting political crisis currently rocking the state.

The coalition made this call at a press conference, which took place in Lagos, and was addressed by its Convener, Comrade Nelson Ekujumi. They strongly condemned the mounting political tension in the state arising from the Court of Appeal judgement delivered in Akure on February 10, 2025, which they said was taking a new turn with the state government claiming that top police authorities were planning to assassinate Governor Adeleke.

The Convener, Comrade Ekujumi, who spoke in the company of other conveners, Comrades Gbenga Soloki and Comrade Rasheed Raji Oyewunmi, equally called on all Nigerians of goodwill, both at home and in the diaspora, to prevail on the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) to put on hold the planned poll exercise.

“For this reason, all Nigerians of goodwill, both at home and in the diaspora, must prevail on Governor Ademola Adeleke and the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission to put on hold the controversial election slated for this Saturday,” he said.

Ekujumi, while noting that an allegation of a planned assassination of a state governor is a weighty one which borders on treason and carries capital punishment in the country, said it became imperative that such a weighty allegation should be thoroughly investigated and ascertained if it was a wild goose chase by the Osun State Government to escape and deflate the counter-criminal allegations levelled against it by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

This was just as he warned that the several counter-allegations were grave and capable of degenerating into anarchy if poorly managed.

Ekujumi, however, noted that an investigation conducted by the coalition had since revealed that the name-calling and blackmailing of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Kayode Egbetokun, was a ploy to divert the attention of law enforcement agents from investigating and bringing to book perpetrators of the Monday carnage in the state.

“As keen observers of polity and political events in Osun State, we are of the firm belief that the security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police and the Directorate of State Security, have discharged their constitutional responsibilities dutifully and professionally.

“They have decently managed the carnage that took place in Osun State. Hence, we were aghast when Governor Ademola Adeleke, his nephew David Adeleke (Davido), and state officials continued to hurl strong allegations against these patriotic Nigerians,” Ekujumi said.

The rights activist, while further expressing the coalition’s concern regarding the security situation in a hitherto peaceful Osun State, which he said was being stretched by the actions of political actors due to the planned forthcoming local government poll, urged that all efforts must be harnessed at this critical point to engender peace, and not endanger the lives and properties of the citizens.

Ekujumi, therefore, urged the British High Commission, the embassies of the United States of America, France, and other democracy-loving countries in the country to be circumspect about the political developments in Osun State and not rush to judgement based on allegations and counter-allegations, but harp on the need for the state government to protect citizens’ rights and respect the rule of law.

 

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