The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alerted security agencies to an alleged plan by purported Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) local government executives to take over council secretariats across the state.
The APC alleged that the purported PDP chairmen and councillors planned to invade the 30 local government secretariats and the Area Office on Thursday.
The allegation was contained in a statement signed by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi.
According to the APC, the alleged plan involved the mobilisation of political hoodlums from within and outside Osun State to assist the purported council executives in taking over the secretariats.
The party said the alleged council executives had already made arrangements to deploy the individuals to carry out the planned action.
The APC further alleged that the recent re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke had encouraged the purported PDP council executives to regroup and pursue the alleged takeover.
The party also accused officials of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) of supporting the alleged plan, describing the union as being willing to work with the state government.
The APC urged the Osun State Police Command, Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to take preventive measures to avert any possible breakdown of law and order.
“There is no tact and diplomacy in a set of hoodlums teaming up to promote disruption of public peace in the state on a matter that is still very much alive in the Court of Appeal.”
The party urged the purported PDP council chairmen to allow the judicial process to continue rather than taking matters into their own hands.
The APC maintained that the dispute over the local government councils remained before the Court of Appeal in Akure, Ondo State, and urged all parties to await the court’s decision.
“Any step that the aggrieved purported PDP local government council chairmen may take other than recourse to the court has no other name than a monumental illegality.”
The party also recalled the killing of Remi Abass, an APC council chairman from Irewole Local Government Area, who it said was killed by suspected PDP thugs.
According to the APC, suspects in the case are currently facing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The party warned that any attempt to forcefully take over the council secretariats could escalate tensions in the state and urged security agencies to closely monitor the situation.
It specifically called on the security agencies to pay attention to the activities of the purported PDP council executives and NULGE officials if there is any indication of a breakdown of law and order.
The APC’s latest allegation comes amid the prolonged legal and political dispute over the control and tenure of local government councils in Osun State.
As of the time of filing this report, the Osun State Government and the state chapter of the PDP had not publicly responded to the allegation.
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