Politics
Osun APC, Assembly Tackle Adeleke Over Executive Orders
The All Progressives Congress and the Osun State House of Assembly have tackled the new Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, over the six Executive Orders he signed on Monday.
They condemned the new governor for reversing some appointments and job recruitments made by his predecessor, Gboyega Oyetola.
In his first official action as governor, Adeleke who was elected under the Peoples Democratic Party platform announced the sacking of alleged 12,000 workers employed by his predecessor.
He also deposed three monarchs and allegedly ordered the withdrawal of the certificate of return of local council chairmen elected under the APC in the October 15 local government elections conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commission.
The decision to withdraw their certificates of return was contained in a statement signed by the OSIEC Executive Secretary, Adedapo Adejumo, in Osogbo on Monday.
It is reported that Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel last Friday nullified the council election, citing non-compliance with the 2022 Electoral Act, following a case filed by the PDP against OSIEC, APC and some of its chairmanship candidates.
The court held that the electoral commission did not comply with the provisions of sections 24 of OSIEC Law, 2022 and Section 28 of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandated it to give a notice of 360 days before the conduct of the election.
Furthermore, the governor abolished the ‘State of Osun’ appellation, which was promulgated by one of his predecessors, Rauf Aregbesola, froze the state accounts, reversed the appointment of 30 permanent secretaries by Oyetola, while promising to correct past injustices, corrupt acts, and bad policies of the immediate past administration.
Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Tesleem Igbalaye, announced the suspension of the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr. Segun Oladitan, alongside six members of the Commission with immediate effect.
The suspension was said to have been based on several petitions bordering on financial impropriety, dereliction of duty, absenteeism and abuse of office against the said chairman and members of the commission.
The statement read, “The Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke has directed the immediate suspension of the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr. Segun Oladitan and the following members of the Commission; Mr. Yusuf Oyeniran; . Alhaja Suibat Adubi; Prince Yinka Ajiboye; Mrs. Abosede Omibeku; Mr. Dosu Gidigbi and Mr. Wahab Adewoyin.
“This suspension is sequel to several petitions bothering on financial impropriety, dereliction of duty, absenteeism and abuse of office against the said chairman and members of the commission.
“Pending the outcome of an investigation into the allegations against the suspended chairman and members of the commission, the Secretary to the commission shall hold forth in running the affairs of the commission.”
APC kicks
But the National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Isaac Kekemeke faulted Adeleke’s actions, noting that his predecessor’s tenure did not end with the new governor’s electoral victory on July 17.
Kekemeke in a statement on Monday admonished Adeleke to exercise authority with sobriety in order to avoid endless litigation and distractions.
He said, “Governor Adeleke shouldn’t be too excited; government is a continuum and is bound by contractual relationships duly entered into by competent authorities.
‘’One thing he, Adeleke has probably and sadly overlooked is that Oyetola’s administration did not end with the announcement of his victory by the Independent National Electoral commission.
“Oyetola and no other person was still governor between July 17th, and November 26th, 2022. The right to continuously review government programmes and activities must be exercised objectively and with sobriety; as to do otherwise will be courting distractions through endless litigation and agitation.
‘’He (Adeleke) was governor-elect between that period, while Oyetola remained governor with unhindered powers to exercise the functions of that office as he deems fit, albeit legally.”
Also taking up the governor on his actions, the Osun State House Assembly said it rejected the contents of the Executive Orders signed by the new helmsman.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity, Moshood Akande.
The assembly insisted that the state anthem, crest and flag were all backed by law, adding that their usage remains a matter of law and not optional.
The statement read, “The State of Osun House of Assembly having reviewed the inaugural speech of the governor and the activities of the inauguration hereby resolves as follows:
“The usage of the state anthem, crest and flag is an enactment of law and as such, its usage is a matter of law and not choice. The enactment ‘State of Osun Anthem, Crest and Flag Law, 2012’ assented to on the 18th of December, 2012 contained in Schedule 1, Il, Ill, IV and V, which carefully details every component of this law is not in ambiguity.
“Schedule I is the State Anthem, Schedule I has to do with the state Crest, Schedule III is the symbolic significance of the symbolic significance of the element in the flag. Lastly, while we are aware of a court judgment in effect recognizing “Osun State”, the Assembly, pending the determination and exhaustion of all legal means would not be drawn into this matter.
“However, the state shall and will continue to be described as the State of the Virtuous (Ipinle Omoluabi).”
Adeleke Defends Actions
Explaining further the content of the Executive Order, signed on Monday by Adeleke, his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed in a statement said the six orders assented to by the governor covered the appointment of workers, monarchs, among others.
He also said four committees had been instituted to review and audit appointments/promotions: state assets inventory and recovery committee, contractors, MoUs/agreements review committee, chieftaincy matters/appointment of traditional rulers review committee.
According to him, the governor has also reversed all appointments in the service of Osun State government made into any capacity in all the ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, boards and parastatals after July 17.
He also stated that all appointments of traditional rulers made by the immediate past administration after July 17 would be reviewed.
The governor specifically asked the Aree of Iree, Akinrun of Ikirun and Owa of Igbajo to vacate their palaces.
The statement noted, “Executive Governor of Osun state, Senator Ademola Adeleke has issued six executive orders to take immediate effect. The orders signed this morning by His Excellency covered chieftaincy matters, appointments issues, setting up of review panel, staff audit and employment matters.’’
PDP Backs Governor
However, the PDP has thrown its weight behind the governor, stating that all his decisions were in order.
Speaking with journalists, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba said Adeleke, having prioritized his programmes, chose to correct the “illegalities” perpetrated by the previous administration.
He said, “We don’t want to elevate his (Kekemeke’s) comments to a point of national discourse. When a government comes on, it has its priority and part of the obligation of PDP government from our mission statement is that we want to rescue and rebuild Nigeria.
“Osun state was in the jugular of reckless and irresponsible government for eight years. A new government is now in place and it is settling down to correct the mistakes of old. If there are illegalities, they should be corrected.
“One of such is the irresponsible and reckless renaming of Osun state as State of Osun which is completely unconstitutional because we are conscious of the constitutionality of our process.
“For us, we are a rule of law party, we follow the process and if there are actions that have been taken that are unconstitutional, any responsible governor which Senator Adeleke represents must reverse that.’’
“Another thing is the unconstitutional conduct of elections to the local government. They were advised but because the APC is run by people who are not interested in the rule of law and believe in impunity; they went ahead to conduct an illegal election which of a court of competent jurisdiction has set aside,” he said
Ologunagba argued further that the governor simply obeyed the court order by dissolving the elected council executives.
He added, “When the APC makes a comment from afar, you disregard it because it is not worth it. So the governor has obeyed the court order by dissolving that charade.
‘’The people are happy with his decision because of the madness of this APC in the last eight years. No tangible project was established but corruption and recklessness were the order of the day.’’
LG Chairmen React
But reacting to the withdrawal of Certificates of Return issued to the elected council officials, the Chairman of Irepodun Local Government, Adegoke Ogunsola, said having studied the decision, the affected officials have valid grounds to approach the court for redress.
Ogunsola, a lawyer, explained that after the court judgment last Friday, the affected parties filed a notice of appeal and duly served the PDP, a development which ought to have put to rest all issues concerning local government elections until the relevant court decides the matter.
Besides, Ogunsola said the OSIEC secretary, a career civil servant, could not be used to withdraw the certificates issued to them by the commission, except the court ruled that it should be withdrawn.
He stated, “There are so many issues. They got a judgment against us on Friday on the procedures of the elections. Immediately after the judgment was delivered, we filed a notice of appeal and stay of execution.
“The All Progressive Congress and some of us who are parties to the case and we served them (the PDP). That is why he (Adeleke) could not pronounce on it in his inaugural address.
“After that, he directed the most senior career officers to take over from us which is illegal in the sense that once you file a notice of appeal and stay of execution and you serve your opponent who wants to execute the judgment, you are not supposed to do anything on the matter any longer. You have to respect that until the court gives its ruling.
“Furthermore, this afternoon, the OSIEC executive secretary made a release that they will not appeal the judgment and that our certificate should be withdrawn. We are still studying the situation to know what next to do because he doesn’t have that power. It is the court that can withdraw the certificate that has been issued.’’
“The party has taken a position. The secretary of the party called and asked me to study the relevant laws and get back to him and I told him that the next thing is to challenge the decision of the executive secretary of OSIEC in court,” Ogunsola concluded.
One of the monarchs affected by the executive order, the Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba Olalekan Akadiri, said he had directed his chiefs to vacate the palace.
He said, “I don’t have issue with the fact that the government wants to set up a committee to review the process that produced me as monarch. The process that made me a monarch is perfect and I don’t think I have engaged in any manipulation. I have ordered the chiefs to move out of the palace to allow the government do its job.”
Meanwhile, the reversal of appointments into the civil service ordered by the governor may affect thousands of the workers recruited after Oyetola had lost his re-election.
Findings indicate that about 3,000 new teachers were recruited into various public primary schools in the state between mid-July and November.
It was also learnt that last Wednesday, 100 letters of appointment were taken to Osun State Polytechnic, Iree for distribution to those newly employed.
Over 1,000 workers were also reportedly employed through the State Hospital Management Development Board between July and November, while about 61 freelance staff that have worked with Osun State Broadcasting Corporation for many years were also absorbed into full-time service of the station.
Sources also said 1,500 teachers were recruited to secondary schools across the state after the July 16 elections.
But Oyetola’s spokesperson, Ismail Omipidan, dismissed as false the reports that his principal employed 12, 000 into the civil service.
He challenged the government to publish the list of the purported 12, 000 workers, asking, “What is the entire workforce of the state?”
PUNCH
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun the public display of the personal particulars and academic credentials submitted by candidates for the 2027 general elections, starting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The exercise commenced on Saturday in line with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires the electoral body to publish candidates’ nomination documents within 21 days of receiving them.
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Documents contained in Form EC9 show that President Tinubu submitted a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University, United States. His transcript indicates the degree was awarded with honours on June 22, 1979.
The records also include his National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate, showing he served in Oyo State between December 1982 and November 1983.
According to the nomination form, Tinubu’s employment history includes Mobil Nigeria Limited, where he worked from 1983 to 1992 before leaving for “advancement,” the Lagos State Government, where he served until the “legal end of tenure” in 2007, and the Federal Government, where he has served since assuming office in 2023.
The form lists his date of birth as March 29, 1952, his place of birth as Lagos, and his occupation as a politician. While his university qualification is fully stated, the years for his primary and secondary education were entered as “0000.”
Vice President Shettima’s documents outline his educational journey from primary school to postgraduate studies. Records show he attended Lamisula I Primary School between 1972 and 1978 before moving to Government Secondary School, Potiskum, where he obtained his WAEC certificate in 1983.
He later graduated with a Second Class Upper degree in Agriculture from the University of Maiduguri in 1989 and went on to earn a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ibadan.
His NYSC discharge certificate shows he completed national service between October 1989 and October 1990.
Explaining the exercise, INEC stated that “Form EC9 contains the credentials, personal particulars and affidavits submitted by candidates sponsored by political parties.”
The commission said the documents have been displayed at its offices nationwide to allow members of the public to inspect them.
It also reminded Nigerians that the Electoral Act permits interested persons to obtain certified true copies of nomination documents and seek legal redress where allegations of false declaration or forgery arise.
Meanwhile, campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to begin on August 19, while campaigns for governorship and state assembly elections will commence later in accordance with the commission’s revised timetable.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed claims that the ruling party is responsible for the internal crises and defections rocking opposition parties, insisting that Peter Obi’s history of switching political parties predates the APC government.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, Yilwatda said Obi had been changing political platforms since 2014 and was never forced out of any party by the APC.
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Responding to allegations that the ruling party had orchestrated divisions within opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, Yilwatda maintained that the APC had no role in Obi’s departures from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), or his eventual move to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
“Nobody in APC chased Peter Obi out of PDP. Nobody from APC chased Obi out of the Labour Party. Nobody in APC chased him out of the Labour Party to ADC or chased him out of ADC again to NDC,” he said.
He added that Obi’s pattern of changing political parties began long before the APC assumed power.
“He started moving from his party long before now, during the time of President Jonathan in 2014. It means that APC has been the person chasing him from 2015 till date, when we were even opposition?” Yilwatda said.
The APC chairman described the challenges facing opposition parties as self-inflicted, arguing that many politicians frequently move from one political platform to another in search of opportunities.
“This is a group of people who have a self-inflicted wound. Every day, they move from party to party,” he stated.
Yilwatda also claimed that Obi left the ADC after discovering he could not secure an automatic presidential ticket before joining the NDC, where he eventually emerged as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
“When he left Labour Party, he moved to ADC. He came to ADC, he discovered that he couldn’t get an automatic ticket. That’s why he left to NDC. And in NDC now, he has gotten his ticket,” he said.
He argued that if the APC truly intended to destabilise Obi politically, the ruling party would have prevented him from obtaining the NDC presidential ticket.
Yilwatda further denied allegations that APC members had infiltrated opposition parties to create instability.
“There’s no single member of APC that is in ADC. No single member of APC that is in NDC,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that persuading politicians from other parties to join the APC is part of his responsibility as national chairman.
“Of course, we do it. We move around. That’s even the role. That’s my role as national party chairman. It’s part of my role… To galvanise and mobilise the party,” he added.
The APC chairman also dismissed suggestions that politicians who defect to the ruling party are shielded from corruption investigations.
“Never. Most people who are in APC have still been prosecuted,” he said.
His remarks come amid continued accusations by Obi and other opposition leaders that the APC is fuelling internal crises within rival parties as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has officially inaugurated its National Campaign Council for the August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election, declaring the contest a “must-win” battle and a major test of the party’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections.
The 276-member campaign council, chaired by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, was inaugurated in Abuja on Tuesday by APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda.
Speaking at the event, Yilwatda said the APC would deploy its extensive political structures, grassroots network and campaign machinery across Osun State to secure victory for its governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO.
SEE MORE:Osun Violence: APC Breaks Silence, Denies Role in Killings
Describing the APC as Nigeria’s strongest political party, Yilwatda said its large number of governors, lawmakers, local government officials and party leaders positioned it to win elections at every level.
“The APC has all it takes to win elections in Nigeria — from councillorship and local government elections to governorship and presidential elections in 2027,” he said.
The APC chairman described the Osun governorship election as the party’s final electoral outing before the 2027 general elections, stressing that it would serve as a rehearsal for the nationwide campaigns.
“This is our litmus test. It will measure our level of preparedness for 2027. It will be our practice ground and our rehearsal for the political machine we are preparing for the general election.
“That is why winning the Osun election is a must for the APC,” Yilwatda added.
He disclosed that the party would embark on aggressive grassroots mobilisation through person-to-person and house-to-house campaigns across the state, with governors, members of the National Assembly, state lawmakers, local government chairmen and councillors participating in the exercise.
Chairman of the campaign council, Hope Uzodimma, described the assignment as “a call to service” and urged party members to remain united while running a peaceful, issue-based campaign.
“Our assignment is clear: to listen to the people of Osun State, speak to their hopes and aspirations, earn their confidence and convince them to vote for the APC and our governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.
“Our unity must be our first campaign message because a united party is the strongest foundation for victory,” Uzodimma said.
He also pledged that the campaign would not be distracted by misinformation or political attacks.
“We will answer falsehood with facts, propaganda with performance and provocation with peace,” he said.
APC governorship candidate, Munirudeen Oyebamiji, said the party had intensified consultations with traditional rulers, market leaders, youths, students, artisans, professionals, women and religious leaders across Osun State.
According to him, the engagements have boosted confidence that the APC is well-positioned to reclaim the state.
“Across these engagements, one message has been consistent and clear: the people of Osun State can no longer afford another day of the current administration beyond November 27, 2026.
“With less than two weeks to the election, I am delighted to report that our prosperity message has been received with uncommon excitement. Osun is ready to return to the path of progressive governance, responsible leadership and sustainable development,” Oyebamiji said.
He expressed confidence that the APC would reclaim the governorship through democratic means, citing the party’s growing support across the state’s three senatorial districts, nine federal constituencies, 30 local government areas, 332 political wards and 3,762 polling units.
The inauguration was attended by several APC leaders, including pioneer National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande, former National Secretary Senator Iyiola Omisore, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, APC National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru and other party stakeholders.
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