Osun APC Chieftain Urges Tinubu’s Intervention to Avert LG Crisis After Court Ruling
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Mr. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the brewing crisis in the state over the Court of Appeal ruling on the conduct of the council election.
According to Oyintiloye, the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, on Friday has started generating tension in the state, with the potential to degenerate into a full-blown crisis if not quickly checked.
The APC chieftain, who spoke to newsmen on Sunday in Osogbo, said that the misinterpretation of the ruling by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the state government may result in a crisis in all 30 local government areas.
“The crisis is obvious because the elected APC chairmen and councillors would resist any unlawful invasion of the council secretariats, which they are currently occupying,” Oyintiloye warned.
He called on President Tinubu to intervene by ordering the deployment of more security agencies to the state to prevent a recurrence of the loss of lives that occurred during a similar crisis on February 17.
“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,” Oyintiloye said.
The APC chieftain also cautioned the state government and the PDP against causing a crisis in the state due to wrong interpretation of the court ruling.
“The verdict of the court on an 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,” he said.
The Court of Appeal, Akure Division, had on Friday dismissed an application by the APC seeking to relist an earlier appeal that was struck out on January 13 for lack of diligent prosecution.
While the state government said that the Court of Appeal ruling affirmed the Federal High Court judgment that sacked the council chairmen and councillors elected in 2022, the APC maintained that the ruling did not nullify the election.
The case originated from a suit filed by the All Peoples Party (APP) against the State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) at the Federal High Court, challenging the legality of the October 15, 2022, LG Election, which featured only APC candidates.
The APC, which later joined the matter at the Federal High Court, had appealed the judgment after the lower court nullified the election. However, the appeal was struck out on January 13 due to a lack of diligent prosecution by the APC.
APC’s attempt to have the case relisted was also dismissed by the Court of Appeal on Friday.
