Chairman of the House of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Oluwole Oke, has asked the Osun State governor, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, to comply with the Court of Appeal ruling which reinstated elected local government officials from the All Progressives Congress (APC) without further delay.
Oke tackled Adeleke for resorting to blackmail of key national figures, including President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi SAN, Central Bank Governor, Yemi Cardoso and former Osun Governor and APC leader, Asiwaju Gboyega Oyetola, instead of complying with the judgement.
The lawmaker who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, also said the Osun governor blatantly neglected legal obligations concerning the local government election.
The lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade federal constituency of Osun State, said “Please stop blackmailing Mr President and C-i-C Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Osun State APC Leader Asiwaju Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola, Lateef Fagbemi SAN AGF and the CBN Governor.”
He blamed the Adeleke administration for the ongoing hardship being suffered by local government employees and residents due to the ‘illegal removal’ of duly elected APC chairmen, vice chairmen, and councillors.
“It is your government that is inflicting pains on us, the beneficiaries of local government administration in Osun State, by not doing the right thing,” the lawmaker said.
Oke cited the recent Court of Appeal judgment which ruled that the PDP and the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) had approached the wrong court in their effort to upturn the APC’s local government victories and asserted that the window to appeal the ruling at the Supreme Court had “closed perpetually.”
“One of the reasons I left PDP under your leadership is because you don’t listen to advice. Those people working with you do not mean well for you.
“Only an illiterate lawyer will advise you contrary to what the Court of Appeal ruled. What else do you need to hear, sir?” The law was clear on the matter and further delay would only deepen the crisis,” he said.
Oke urged Adeleke to take immediate steps to normalise the situation by directing civil servants under the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to resume work and collaborate with the reinstated APC officials until the end of their tenure.
“What is left for you to do now is to direct the local government civil servants, NULGE, to go back to work, embrace the APC elected officials, and work together until their tenure ends,” he said, adding that OSSIEC should begin the process for fresh elections within 180 days.
Oke warned that should the reinstated officials insist on completing their full three-year mandate, they must be paid their emoluments in full, saying “in the alternative, they can be paid their emoluments for the three years.”
He expressed sympathy for PDP aspirants who contested in the now-nullified election, stating” many of them invested heavily, borrowed money, and sold personal property to fund their campaigns.
“All the PDP chairmanship aspirants, their vice and councillors spent a fortune to participate in the ill-fated election. Some borrowed owo isobo (soft loans), sold their properties and are now suffering hopelessly. It’s my prayer that they will survive,”
Oke suggested the governor could cushion their losses by appointing them as Special Advisers (SAs) or Senior Special Assistants (SSAs).
