White Paper: Osun APC urges Tinubu, IGP to curb Adeleke’s violence plot

…says protracted shutdown of courtrooms politically motivated

The Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rescue the people of the state from the scourge of political “tyrants” in the corridor of power who since November 2022 have been threatening law-abiding citizens of the state .

The APC also called on the Chiefs of the security agencies in the country, particularly Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun to come to the aid of its members who have been arbitrarily blacklisted for series of violent attacks by the state government.

This is even as members of the opposition frowned at the protracted shutdown of the courts in the state by the Senator Ademola Adeleke led-government, describing the action as “inhuman” and security threat given high number of lawsuits that would have been adjudicated and disposed off for justice.

The opposition party made the appeals on Monday while briefing journalists on development capable of plunging the state into avoidable crises.

Addressing the Press Conference, held at the Tinubu/Shettima campaign office, Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, the APC State Chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Lawal said the call was necessary to nip in the bud the plot of Governor Adeleke and his co-travellers to harass, kidnap and kill leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in order to silence the voice of the opposition.

Lawal described the ‘White Paper’ purportedly issued by Governor Adeleke as a ‘mere smokescreen,’ saying the motive was aimed to “divert the attention of the public from asking pertinent questions regarding the looting carnival and grossly irresponsible conduct of the mediocre and political charlatans in the seat of power in Abere.”

According to him, the Task Force, secretly set up by Governor Adeleke and peopled by the PDP thugs and notorious criminals on the wanted list of the police have been billed to forcefully retrieve some vehicles duly approved for past government functionaries.

He said the decision of the government is to further provoke the law-abiding citizens, injure them and precipitate violence in the state.

“On the threat to lives and properties of the leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress, Security reports available to us revealed that the handlers of the state government will anytime from now carry out the evil plan by hiding under the excuse of implementing the White Paper recently issued by the Osun State Government.

“Recall in March 2023 during a similar Press Briefing to mark the 100 days in office of Governor Adeleke, we informed the esteemed public how the current Government in the state squandered the N90 billion revenue accrued to it, since that time, the state government has made more money, running to N200billion (including money to the local government areas), and our Party has not backed down from its noble role of exposing the rot in the Adeleke administration.

“Our profound insistence that Governor Adeleke should disclose the identities of the Contractors handling major projects in the state has continued to enrage the government and necessitated the plot to clamp down on our members, especially those who served in the government of Ex-Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and members of our media team.

“We have, on many occasions, challenged the state governor to prove to the public that the government contracts are not being executed by cronies and proxies of his elder brother, Dr Deji Adeleke and sister, Mrs Dupe Adeleke-Sanni. The handlers of the state government are not happy about the fact that our Party has successfully raised the consciousness of the Nigerian public, particularly the citizens of Osun, as to how the N9billion Federal Government Palliative Fund and additional N4.5billion NG-Cares grant recently received by the current regime were diverted and looted”, he added.

On the recent White Paper issued by the government nullifying the selection processes that produced some traditional rulers in the state – the Aree of Iree, the Owa of Igbajo and Akinrun of Ikirun, Lawal described the move as an undignified double standard untypical of a responsible governor and leader.

“On assumption of office in November 2022, Governor Adeleke had ordered for the suspension of some traditional rulers installed during the Administration of the immediate-past governor and the above mentioned stools have since become subjects of court litigations in which the governor and the government of Osun State are defendants.

“However, while the governor cleared the Alawo of Awo to function as Oba pending the determination of the law suit in respect of the stool, he maliciously nullified the processes that produced the Aree of Iree and Owa of Igbajo and ordered for fresh processes; he declared the Akinrun of Ikirun stool vacant pending the outcome of the court case.

“It’s a mockery of the judiciary that the head of the executive arm of government would make a pronouncement on a case before a court particularly in a case he is also a defendant! That is sub judice.That makes the governor a judge in his own case.

The APC Chairman expressed the concern of the path that at a time four traditional rulers were said to be on suspension, Governor Adeleke gave recognition to Alawo of Awo, even to an extent of encouraging the Kabiyesi to give chieftaincy titles to the governor’s sister, Dupe Adeleke-Sanni and her husband.

Lawal cautioned that the reactions of the indigenes of the affected towns leave much to be desired and if not well managed could cause a monumental break-down of law and order.

“Governor Ademola Adeleke should save the state of impending mayhem by reverting to status quo ante pending the outcome of the law suits instituted by the affected parties.

“We use this medium to call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police in the country to intervene in the brewing situation in the state”, Lawal said.

Read the full text below

*BEING THE TEXT OF AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY SOOKO TAJUDEEN LAWAL, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE OSUN STATE CHAPTER OF THE ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC), AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE COPIOUS ADMINISTRATIVE INFRACTIONS OF GOVERNOR ADEMOLA ADELEKE CAPABLE OF PROMOTING CRISES IN THE STATE, TODAY, JANUARY 22ND, 2024, HELD AT THE TINUBU/SHETTIMA CAMPAIGN SECRETARIAT, OGO-OLUWA, OSOGBO, OSUN STATE.*
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Gentlemen of the Press,

1. We warmly welcome you to this Conference organized to draw the attention of the general public and the security agencies to three developments in Osun state capable of plunging the state into avoidable crises:

2. The first is the continued shutting down of courts in Osun State. The second is the plot of the Senator Ademola Adeleke-led Government in Osun State to harass, kidnap and kill Leaders and Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in order to silence the voice of the Opposition while the third is the untimely and illegal removal of traditional rulers through a government’s White Paper, at a time courts are still adjudicating on the matters.

3. While it is strange, the reality is that the courts in Osun State have been under lock and key in the last three (3) months.

4. The sad situation was installed on the state by a small group of partisan judiciary workers, working hand-in-hand with the government of Osun State, to frustrate the return to office of the state Chief Judge, Honourable Justice Adepele Ojo, who has been in the news for months for not allowing the state governor to undermine the power of the judiciary and compromising the justice system in the state.

4. The implication of this unholy closure of the courts is that the citizenry are now resorting to self-help since the courts are not sitting and available for them to ventilate their anger.

5. The other negative effect of the non-sitting of the courts is that the police detentions are now over-crowded since suspected criminals in their custody can not be arraigned in courts.

6. The shutting down of the courts is a serious security threat as the police with time would not have any option than to set criminals free in order to manage the population of the inmates in their detention facilities.

7. On the threat to lives and properties of the Leaders and Members of the All Progressives Congress, Security reports available to us revealed that the handlers of the state government will anytime from now carry out the evil plan by hiding under the excuse of implementing the White Paper recently issued by the Osun State Government.

8. Recall in March 2023 during a similar Press Briefing to mark the 100 days in office of Governor Adeleke, we informed the esteemed public how the current Government in the state squandered the N90 billion revenue accrued to it.

9. Since that time, the state government has made more money, running to N200billion (including money to the local government areas), and our Party has not backed down from its noble role of exposing the rot in the Adeleke administration.

10. Our profound insistence that Governor Adeleke should disclose the identities of the Contractors handling major projects in the state has continued to enrage the government and necessitated the plot to clamp down on our members, especially those who served in the government of Ex-Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and members of our media team.

11. We have, on many occasions, challenged the state governor to prove to the public that the government contracts are not being executed by cronies and proxies of his elder brother, Dr Deji Adeleke and sister, Mrs Dupe Adeleke-Sanni.

12. The handlers of the state government are not happy about the fact that our Party has successfully raised the consciousness of the Nigerian public, particularly the citizens of Osun, as to how the N9billion Federal Government Palliative Fund and additional N4.5billion NG-Cares grant received by the current regime were diverted and looted.

13. Therefore, the White Paper issued a couple of days ago is a mere smokescreen designed to divert the attention of the public from asking pertinent questions regarding the looting carnival and grossly irresponsible conduct of the mediocre and political charlatans in the seat of power in Abere.

14. The Task Force, secretly set up by Governor Adeleke and peopled by the PDP thugs and notorious criminals on the wanted list of the police to forcefully retrieve some vehicles duly approved for past government functionaries, is to provoke our law-abiding citizens, injure them and precipitate violence in the state.

15. Finally, gentlemen of the Press, it is no longer news that Governor Adeleke last Thursday, released a White Paper nullifying the selection processes that produced two traditional rulers in the state, namely: the Aree of Iree and the Owa of Igbajo.

16. On assumption of office in November 2022, Governor Adeleke had ordered for the suspension of some traditional rulers installed during the Administration of the immediate-past governor.

17. The affected kings include the Aree of Iree, Akinrun of Ikirun, Owa of Igbajo and Alawo of Awo.

18. The above mentioned stools have since become subjects of court litigations in which the governor and the government of Osun State are defendants.

19. However, while the governor cleared the Alawo of Awo to function as Oba pending the determination of the law suit in respect of the stool, he maliciously nullified the processes that produced the Aree of Iree and Owa of Igbajo and ordered for fresh processes; he declared the Akinrun of Ikirun stool vacant pending the outcome of the court case.

20. Our Party is concerned that at a time the four traditional rulers were said to be on suspension, Governor Adeleke gave recognition to Alawo of Awo, even to an extent of encouraging the Kabiyesi to confer on the governor’s sister, Mrs Dupe Adeleke-Sanni and her husband, chieftaincy titles of Yeye Bobajiro of Awoland and Bobajiro of Awoland respectively.

21. The decision of Governor Adeleke to single out some traditional rulers for punishment on mere presumption that they are political adversaries is petty, divisive and ungodly. No genuine leader engages in such a destructive tactics to govern his subjects.

22. First, the failure of Governor Adeleke to apply the same rule to all the four affected stools is an undignified double standard untypical of a responsible governor and leader.

23. Second, it is a mockery of the judiciary that the head of the executive arm of government would make a pronouncement on a case before a court particularly in a case he is also a defendant! That is sub judice.That makes the governor a judge in his own case.

24. The reactions of the indigenes of the affected towns leave much to be desired and if not well managed could cause a monumental break-down of law and order.

25. Governor Ademola Adeleke should save the state of impending mayhem by reverting to status quo ante pending the outcome of the law suits instituted by the affected parties.

26. We use this medium to call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police in the country to intervene in the brewing situation in the state.

27. Thank you for your time and attention.