Adeleke alleges Oyetola’s support for APC chairmen in LG tenure dispute
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has accused former Governor Gboyega Oyetola of backing what he described as the illegal occupation of local government secretariats across the state, insisting that the continued stay of APC chairmen and councillors in office amounts to unlawful tenure elongation.
In a statewide broadcast on Monday, the governor said the tenure of the APC chairmen and councillors expired on October 22, 2025, stressing that neither the Nigerian Constitution nor any existing law permits the extension of tenure for elected officials beyond the stipulated period.
Adeleke said the position of the law has been clearly settled by the Supreme Court, citing a ruling involving a former governor of Oyo State, where the apex court held that tenure could not be extended even after reinstatement following unlawful removal from office.
He disclosed that the APC chairmen and councillors themselves approached the Federal High Court seeking an extension of their tenure, noting that the case has not been heard but that the very act of seeking an extension constitutes an admission that their tenure had already expired.
Despite these legal realities, the governor accused the APC officials of forcefully occupying local government secretariats with police backing, allegedly acting on the instructions of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, which he described as a direct assault on democratic norms.
According to Adeleke, the APC chairmen and councillors openly threatened on social media to remain in the council offices for as long as they wished, claiming the support of the former governor.
The governor further accused Oyetola of allegedly weaponising federal institutions, particularly the Nigerian Police Force and the United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), to impose hardship on Osun residents through alleged illegal instructions.
Adeleke appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and halt the alleged actions of the former governor, adding that the President’s name was allegedly being used without his knowledge to compel the Nigerian Police and UBA to obey such directives.
