INTERVIEW: Appeal Court ruling on APC council officials is final – Osun APC Media Director

Chief Kola Olabisi, Director of Media and Information for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, in this exclusive interview, shared his insights on the current political landscape in the state. He criticized Governor Ademola Adeleke’s handling of the local government crisis, saying it has caused untold hardship for citizens. Western Post’s Deborah Oladejo reports.

What’s your take on the current political landscape in Osun State, especially with the recent court judgment reinstating APC local government chairmen and councillors?

The February 10, 2025, Court of Appeal landmark judgment that reinstated the APC local government chairmen and councillors is sacrosanct. It has come to stay. All that Governor Ademola Adeleke is doing by challenging the verdict at some pliable high courts in the state is merely an attempt to buy time. However, this strategy amounts to trying to be clever by half, and he will soon realize that his efforts are in vain.

It is only in Osun State, under the inglorious administration of Governor Adeleke, that a governor would be plotting his own downfall, as we are witnessing today. The APC is constitutionally in control of local government administration in the state. It may seem like a dream to Governor Adeleke and his cohorts, but they must learn to live with this reality. The Court of Appeal has ruled in favor of the elected APC chairmen and councillors, and this outcome is the Lord’s doing, beyond human comprehension.

How does the APC plan to strengthen its presence in Osun State?

If I understand you correctly, you are asking about our strategy, which ideally should not be disclosed to the so-called ruling party in the state—a party that has lost its bearing in all ramifications. However, it is clear to discerning minds that our party continues to grow daily, as the best of their chieftains and members keep defecting to the APC.

Is it not surprising that these eminent politicians have been leaving the ruling party in droves to identify with us? There is no better way to prove that our party is better positioned than what is visibly verifiable.

What’s your response to allegations that the APC is trying to disrupt the peace in Osun State through various means?

That allegation is strange to me because the APC is a peace-loving party that upholds the rule of law and orderliness. If what you are referring to is our insistence on benefiting from the favorable Court of Appeal judgment of February 10, 2025, which reinstated our duly elected local government chairmen and councillors, then I strongly disagree with such an accusation.

The attempts by our local government chairmen and councillors to resume at their various councils, in compliance with the court order, cannot be classified as disrupting the peace of the state. Is it a crime for the rightful owner of an item to reclaim what a competent court of law has adjudicated to belong to him? It is Governor Adeleke and his associates who are disturbing the peace of Osun by refusing to obey the court judgment that reinstated the APC officials.

What are the implications of the LG crisis for the people of Osun State, and how do you think it can be resolved?

The implications of Governor Adeleke’s hostility toward the Court of Appeal’s judgment are severe. When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. It is unprecedented in this nation’s history for a governor to actively sabotage governance at the grassroots level by encouraging council workers to embark on an illegal strike for over two months.

As a result, all local government transactions have come to a standstill, causing untold hardship to the citizenry. Innocent people have suffered—weddings have been canceled, students who need local government identification certificates have been left stranded, internally generated revenue from councils has been disrupted, and many other services have been paralyzed.

What are the APC’s chances of winning the 2026 governorship election in Osun State?

This is a very good question. From early indicators, it is clear that Governor Adeleke’s numerous avoidable mistakes are working in our favor. The people of Osun State have come to realize that he lacks the capacity to effectively govern a complex state like ours. His administration has set the state back by two decades.

Here is a governor who does not know how to generate revenue but only knows how to squander it. Instead of focusing on governance, he spends his time dancing at every opportunity. The people of Osun State cannot wait to remove Governor Adeleke from the Bola Ige House with their votes next year.

Who is the potential APC candidate for the election, and what qualities make him a strong contender?

The party has not yet anointed any governorship candidate. This is not something that will be done in secrecy. When the time comes to unveil our candidate, we will not disappoint our members and supporters. Rest assured, he will be both widely acceptable and fully equipped with the leadership qualities required of a state governor—unlike the current administration, which compensates for its inadequacies with dance performances.

What is the justification for the APC’s call for a state of emergency in Osun State, and what specific circumstances warrant such a declaration?

When did the APC call for a state of emergency in Osun State? I believe your question is based on a conditional premise. Our stance is that it is entirely improper for the third tier of government to be allowed to collapse, as we are witnessing in Osun State, where Governor Adeleke continues to ignore the Court of Appeal judgment reinstating the APC council chairmen and councillors.

When a government organizes a protest by workers against itself, what does that say? It is also worth remembering that Governor Adeleke was responsible for the nearly six-month-long strike by judiciary workers, which led to the closure of all courts in the state. Should a governor have the power to pick and choose which court orders to obey? In any democracy, the rule of law must be upheld. A government that disregards court rulings is inviting anarchy, which is detrimental to our democracy.