Leadnaija
As the legal crisis that engulfed Osun State over local government council control lingers, Governor Ademola Adeleke on Tuesday held over two hours closed door meeting with the All Progressives Congress, APC, national leader over the matter.
The situation has led to a standstill in the administration of local government in the state as the council secretariats across the state remain closed while workers withdrew their services.
Both the reinstated Chairmen and councillors and the newly elected and inaugurated council officials are not running the councils officially.
However the Governor accompanied by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Adewale Egbedun besieged Chief Akande house in Ibadan.
A statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, stated that Governor Adeleke disclosed his visit to Akande was to Kick start a meeting with relevant stakeholders on the council crisis in the state.
According to the Governor, there is need for all stakeholders to avoid resorting to self-help to avoid further loss of lives and properties, repeating his earlier calls on parties to return to court for ventilation of their viewpoints.
“Our father, we are here to pay homage to you as my predecessor and as an elder statesman. I am also going round to brief our leaders on recent developments in our dear state.
“Your relationship with the Adeleke’s family dated back to my late Dad. I choose to start the consultation with this visit”, the Governor noted.
Responding, Akande was quoted to have condemned any form of bloodshed in the name of politics, stressing the need for alll parties to submit to the rule of law and avoid resorting to self help.
Later, the duo left other cabinet members, including, the governor’s Chief of Staff, Kazeem Akinleye, the SSG, Teslim Igbalaye, Attorney-General of the State, Wole Jimi-Bada, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, for a closed door meeting lasting hours.
Reacting to the visit, Osun chapter of the APC in a statement by its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi berated the governor for running to Chief Akande’s house instead of the court to resolve the legal crisis his administration dragged the state into.
“We want to impress it on Governor Adeleke and his co-travellers that Pa Akande is a democrat and no amount of under-the-table arrangement would make the former governor of the state to work against the interest of his party. Does Governor Adeleke want Pa Akande to be praising him for being instrumental to the killing of the chieftain and members of his party?
“We want to believe that there are knowledgeable political lieutenants of Governor Adeleke who should guide him aright that the proper place for him to go if at all he has any case for redress after the Akure verdict of 10th of February, 2025, is the Supreme Court”, it added.
