Oyintiloye: PDP misinterpreting judgement on Osun LG polls to take over secretariats

Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun state, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of plotting to incite unrest in the state following a recent court judgment.

BACKGROUND

On Friday, an appeal court in Akure, the capital of Ondo, struck out the APC’s request to relist its appeal against a 2022 judgement of the federal high court that nullified the LG elections in Osun.

In October 2022, during his final days in office, Gboyega Oyetola, then the governor of Osun, conducted a controversial local government election.

The elections, which were reportedly conducted through a voice vote, resulted in the APC candidates being declared winners across the state.

In November 2022, a federal high court in Osogbo, the capital of Osun, nullified the elections and sacked all elected chairpersons and councillors.

Several months later, the APC approached the appeal court to relist an appeal against the judgment.

Delivering judgement, Peter Obiorah, the judge, said the appeal lacked merit, saying the APC failed to act promptly on its legal rights tantamount to a self-inflicted injury.

“It is a case of volenti non fit injuria—they cannot complain of harm they brought upon themselves. Equity aids the vigilant, not the indolent,” Obiorah said.

‘PDP PLANNING CRISIS’

Speaking with journalists in Osogbo on Sunday, Oyintiloye said the ruling was generating tension across the state.

He said the PDP and the Osun state government is misinterpreting the judgement as nullifying a February 10 verdict which reportedly reinstated the APC’s chairpersons and councillors.

The former member of the house of representatives said the PDP’s interpretation of the ruling that it now has control over the LGAs, with the plan to take over the secretariats on Monday, could lead to a crisis.

He said the LG chairpersons and councillors would resist any attempt to invade local government secretariats.

Oyintiloye asked President Bola Tinubu to intervene to prevent the breakdown of law and order.

“We don’t want any bloodshed in the state again, and that is why I am calling on the president to intervene swiftly to avoid loss of lives,” the APC chieftain said.

“The open declaration by PDP members to invade the council secretariats in the state on Monday can lead to mayhem, and that is not what we need at the moment.

“Both the state government and the PDP must be cautioned against causing crisis in the state due to wrong interpretation of the court ruling.

“The verdict of the court on the attempt by the APC  to relist the case is very clear, but some people are just hell-bent on causing chaos through misinterpretation of the court ruling.”

Oyintiloye said the Osun government should await the supreme court’s final ruling on the judgment that reportedly sacked LG chairpersons elected on the platform of the PDP, since it is already challenging the decision.