NEWS
Osun LG Crisis: Adeleke Calls Out Tinubu Over Court-Sacked APC Chairmen
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has called out President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the crisis engulfing the Local Government Areas (LGA) of the state.
Gov Adeleke accused the Blue Economy Minister, Gboyega Oyetola of masterminding the ongoing Osun LGA crisis, and asserted that the self-awarded tenure of APC Chairmen lapsed in 2025, which means that it cannot be elongated under the law and Supreme Court precedents.
A government house statement in Osogbo has it that Gov Adeleke was reacting to the Oyetola’s statement authored by his Special Adviser, and faulted the entire submission of the minister on the local government crisis, positing that the former Governor remains the chief architect of the paralysis and the untold hardship being inflicted on Osun people.
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According to the statement, the state governor averred that a Federal High Court as against the claims that Gov Adeleke sacked the APC chairmen in 2022 and the judgment was later validated by a Court of Appeal judgement which also acknowledged that newly validly elected chairmen and councillors of the PDP were already sworn into office.
The governor further reminded the minister if he had forgotten that the APC chairmen were sacked by the Court because their election was conducted under Mr Oyetola in violation of the electoral act which stipulates a one year notice before conducting local elections.
The statement queried Mr Oyetola on his motive for conducting local government election in violation of the law and soon after he lost his re-election bid in 2022, insisting that the minister should bear full responsibility for the paralysis of the councils which are well known to the masses of Osun state.
While the APC insisted on not quitting office despite Court rulings and while the minister ensued the seizure of Osun local governments allocations, the state governor said he implemented regular payments of salaries of local workers, questioning why Mr Oyetola prefers local workers to suffer even after blocking funding flow to the local government system.
The governor expressed shock at the minister’s denial of paralysis of local government in Osun, calling it an insult to Osun traditional rulers whose salaries could not be paid; a denigration of local workers who survive only through salaries minus the allowances; and gross contempt for local government workers who were recently molested and harassed by APC thugs and tenure-less chairmen.
“Under what authority is Mr Oyetola and his cronies in the guise of council chairmen disbursing funds meant for salaries of local government workers. Under what authority is he deciding who gets paid or not? Why are they not paying salaries of local health workers, local teachers and local retirees?”, the governor questioned.
Gov Adeleke puts the minister, the UBA and the court sacked chairmen on notice that those who mishandled Osun local government fund are going to be held accountable, adding “current mishandling of local funds will not go unpunished as this is daylight’s robbery of people’s money”
The governor further described as an attempted escape from reality the Minister’s denial of tenure lapsing for his court sacked chairmen, asking what is the legal basis for the belief of the minister that being in court is sufficient to continue in office and tampering with public funds through the backdoor.
It is even troubling for democratic sanity for the minister to hold an opinion that those who disobeyed a subsisting court judgement that sacked them from office should continue to stay in office after the expiration of such self awarded tenure contrary to the constitution and Supreme Court ruling that forbids tenure elongation.
The governor who described himself as an advocate of local government autonomy accused the minister and his party of trampling on local autonomy by self-imposing unelected politicians, by disobeying court orders, by violating laws on the operations of local government finance, and by illegally enforcing unconstitutional tenure elongation.
The governor cannot keep quiet when local workers are not being paid, when local health centres and local retirees are denied their allowances and salaries. The governor cannot keep quiet when unauthorised, unelected officials are handling local government funds.
The governor again called on Mr Oyetola to stop dragging President Bola Tinubu’s name in the mud, charging him to lift his siege on Osun local government secretariats; get his tenure-less chairmen out of the councils; stop issuing illegal directives to the police ; and allow Osun people to breathe.
The United Nations has raised the alarm over a dramatic surge in attacks on schools worldwide, reporting a 166% increase between 2021 and 2024.
The rise highlights the escalating dangers faced by children in conflict zones.
United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, revealed the figures during the annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Council on the rights of the child on Monday.
The session, themed “Mainstreaming the Rights of Children in Armed Conflict: Prevention and Protection,” focused on protecting children amid global conflicts.
Al-Nashif noted that the attacks were particularly concentrated in Sudan, Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, Myanmar, and Ethiopia, where children remain among the most vulnerable victims.
“In 2024, armed conflict directly affected nearly one in six children globally—about 470 million children,” she said. “Years of lost education, trauma, and lasting mental scars shape societies for generations. Long after the fighting subsides, children continue to face deadly risks.”
She highlighted Gaza as having the world’s highest number of child amputees per capita, warning that the impact of war goes far beyond immediate violence.
In Lebanon, government figures show that more than 450,000 people were displaced in less than a week, with at least 394 fatalities, including 83 children, during the 2024 conflict with Israel.
Al-Nashif also stressed the disproportionate risks for displaced children, who are more likely to die from disease linked to unsafe water and sanitation than from direct violence.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a 2025 cholera outbreak killed 340 children, underscoring the long-term consequences of conflict.
She called on states to uphold their international obligations to protect children, insisting that protecting children is “both a legal obligation and a humanitarian moral imperative.”
Also speaking at the council, Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, warned that violence against children continued at extreme levels in 2025.
She urged mainstreaming child protection across peace, security, humanitarian, human rights, and development efforts, emphasizing that children should actively participate in shaping policies designed to safeguard them.
Frazier highlighted her office’s global campaign, “Prove It Matters,” aimed at amplifying children’s voices in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
The UN report underscores the urgent need for coordinated international action to protect children and ensure their safety in conflict zones worldwide.
Portugal officially inaugurated its new president, Antonio Jose Seguro, on Monday, pledging to bring stability to a nation shaken by political uncertainty and natural disasters.
Seguro, the centre-left candidate, won last month’s presidential run-off against far-right rival Andre Ventura, following weeks of catastrophic storms that killed at least seven people and caused approximately €4 billion ($4.6 billion) in damage.
Speaking at his swearing-in ceremony in Lisbon’s parliament, Seguro emphasized cooperation with the minority right-wing government and vowed to end the country’s “electoral frenzy.”
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“I will do everything I can to put an end to this electoral frenzy,” he said, pointing to the inability of previous governments to complete their terms.
Amid global crises, including conflicts in the Middle East and a more isolationist US approach under President Donald Trump, Seguro stressed the importance of multilateralism.
“The force of law has been replaced by the power of the strongest,” he remarked.
Seguro succeeds Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a conservative who leaves office at 77 after serving two five-year terms.
While the Portuguese presidency is largely ceremonial, Seguro’s leadership signals a commitment to political stability and international engagement.
Nigerians are facing yet another economic blow as petrol prices surge again. The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has raised the gantry price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to N1,175 per litre, marking the third increase in just one week.
The latest adjustment, announced to marketers on Monday, follows a temporary suspension of petrol sales at the refinery on Sunday. Diesel, also known as Automotive Gas Oil, has also been revised upwards to N1,620 per litre.
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A senior refinery official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the hike, noting that it reflects “prevailing market fundamentals and the cost environment we are currently operating in.”
Industry checks show that depot pricing systems have already updated the new rates, signaling an inevitable rise at retail stations.
In some cities, petrol is now being sold at over N1,200 per litre, adding pressure on Nigerian motorists and businesses alike.
This repeated surge comes after earlier increases that pushed gantry prices from N774 to N995 per litre earlier this week.
Experts warn that the hikes are likely to drive up transportation, logistics, and production costs, potentially impacting the prices of goods and services nationwide.
While the Federal Government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), is working to secure crude supplies for the refinery via international traders, officials cautioned that this may not immediately reduce prices for consumers.
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