Osun PDP warns Oyetola against conducting council poll

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Osun State on Wednesday warned Governor Gboyega Oyetola and the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Timothy Owoeye against conducting local government election before leaving office.

Earlier this week, the House of Assembly commenced deliberations on two private member bills titled; “Osun Local Government Area Creation and Administration Amendment No 5 Bill”, sponsored by the Chairman Local Government Committee, Babatunde Komolafe and “Osun Independent Electoral Commission Bill 2022”, sponsored by the state Deputy Governor, Benedict Alabi.

But the PDP in a statement by the chairman, Media Management Committee, Prince Diran Odeyemi in Osogbo, said that from all indications, the Speaker, planned to arm twist his colleagues and reverse the six months’ extension, granted the current council caretaker committees in the state just about one month ago.

Odeyemi stated that the move to reverse the six months’ extension was to pave the way for hurried local government election that Oyetola and Owoeye wanted to use as trap for the incoming administration of the PDP.

He recalled how political underhand dealings by the then Alliance for Democracy (AD) administration between 2001 and 2003 sneaked to the House of Assembly and ended the life of then lawmaker representing Ife Central State Constituency, Odunayo Olagbaju and plunged the state into political crises.

Odeyemi appealed to all stakeholders in the affairs of the state to prevail on the administration of Oyetola not to thinker with the idea of local government election after losing re-election. 

In a swift reaction, the media aide to the Speaker, Mr. Kunle Alabi said the duties of the Assembly is to make laws and not to conduct election and that the House will continue to discharge its duties till June 5, 2023.

He said: “Is the PDP planning to kill the people of Osun according to the veiled threat in their press statement? Is the PDP insinuating that what the Speaker and the House of Assembly are doing is illegal? The answer is NO and the media handlers of the opposition party knows it too.

“Governor Adegboyega Oyetola remains the governor of the state till November 26, while the state House of Assembly under the leadership of Rt. Hon Timothy Owoeye will continue to discharge its duties till June 5, 2023.

“The duties of the House of Assembly, according to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria includes making laws and not conducting election. The State Independent Electoral Commission is saddled with that function.  Why is the PDP questioning the constitutional duties of these bodies?

“If anyone should be seen as fanning the embers of chaos and wanting to throw the state into anarchy, it should be the PDP going by the threats in its statement.

“The issue of the death of Hon. Olagbaju remains a very dark era in the history of our state and we should not be reminded of that on the altar of pedestrian politics.

“Senator Adeleke should be aware that he is just a governor- elect and as such has a responsibility to put on leash the many charlatans speaking on his behalf.”