For Osun APC, PDP, control of local councils is a do-or-die

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

Going by the recent make or break posturings of the two leading political parties in Osun State, the wanton killing and bloodshed of Monday, 17 February, 2025, which left 6 people dead and many injured, seemed inevitable.

Monday’s violent clash was not an isolated happening but the culmination of built-up tension between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

The struggle for the control of the 30 local councils in Osun State appears to have reached a boiling point, with the PDP and the APC in a do-or-die situation, leaving both with no options other than taking a big risk to avoid political defeat.

The council elections held on October 15th, 2022, involving a yes/no poll which ushered in new political leadership into the third tier of government, had degenerated into a crisis, triggering a series of legal battles and political confrontations that have persisted to the present day.

The Federal High Court on November 30th, 2022, nullified the October elections and ordered the immediate removal of elected officials, citing violations of the Constitution. Subsequently, the ousted local government chairmen and councillors appealed this decision at the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal struck out the originating summons filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in February 2025. However, both the PDP and APC interpreted the ruling differently. The judgement, which did not address the merits of the sacked officials’ appeal, provided the soil for the violence that later erupted.

Meanwhile, the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) had set February 22nd, 2025, as the date for local council elections.

But, with defeat staring it in the face in the forthcoming local council elections holding in a few days as the ruling party will predictably sweep the polls as happened in all local government elections across the country, the takeover of the council secretariat seemed to have been Osun APC’s only alternative to bounce back politically, regain control of the state, and place the party in good stead ahead of the 2026 governorship election.

Relying on the Court of Appeal ruling imbued by a dogged determination to regain their lost positions, a few days before the scheduled local council polls, sacked APC local council officials attempted a forceful takeover of local government secretariats across the state.

But they met stiff resistance from suspected political thugs allegedly loyal to the PDP. At the end, six persons died during the violent confrontation, including the sacked chairman of Irewole local government, Remi Abbas. Two supporters of the PDP also lost their lives at Boripe Local Government, among other casualties.

Amidst the crisis, the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) insists it would conduct local government elections on February 22nd, even as the situation on the ground remains volatile, raising concerns over the safety of voters.

How events in the state will unfold in the coming days remains unclear. But for now, the political atmosphere in the State of the Living Spring is ominous, fraught with dangers!