APC, PDP clash over control of Osun LG secretariats

Tension is mounting in Osun State as the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), alongside civil society groups, trade accusations over the control of local government council secretariats across the state.

The APC has dismissed claims by the PDP and a coalition of civil society organisations that its local government chairmen are illegally occupying council secretariats. The Network of Civil Society Groups, led by its convener, Stephen Olanrewaju, has demanded that the chairmen vacate office immediately, insisting that their tenure expired on October 26, 2025.

The group also accused the Osun State Command of the Nigeria Police Force of providing security cover for what it described as “illegal executives” and called for the immediate withdrawal of police personnel from the council secretariats.

Speaking at a press briefing in Osogbo on Monday, Olanrewaju traced the crisis to court rulings on local government elections conducted during the previous APC-led administration.

He recalled that in 2022, the Federal High Court nullified the local government elections conducted by the APC government in Osun, citing failure to comply with legal requirements, and consequently sacked the elected chairmen and councillors. According to him, the judgment was affirmed by the Court of Appeal on June 13, 2025.

“Despite these clear judicial pronouncements, the sacked officials refused to obey court orders and falsely claimed there was a reinstatement order,” Olanrewaju said, alleging that they forcefully occupied council secretariats with police protection.

He described the continued occupation of the secretariats by officials whose tenure had allegedly expired as illegal and unconstitutional, urging security agencies not to aid what he termed lawlessness.

The PDP aligned itself with the civil society group. The party’s Director of Media in Osun State, Oladele Bamiji, said the APC chairmen had no valid tenure and accused them of clinging to office through the misuse of power.

Bamiji called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and rein in members of his party in the state, warning that the situation could pose a threat to democratic governance if left unchecked.

“They were sacked by the court and yet they have refused to vacate the secretariats. More troubling is the role allegedly being played by the Osun Police Command in supporting them,” he said.

However, the Osun APC rejected the allegations, insisting that its chairmen and councillors are lawfully in office. The party’s spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, accused the civil society group of acting on behalf of the state government and lacking a proper understanding of the legal issues surrounding the councils.

Olabisi maintained that the APC chairmen and councillors were reinstated by a Court of Appeal judgment delivered on February 10, 2025, which he said was not appealed.

He added that a suit is currently before the Federal High Court in Osogbo to determine the tenure of the reinstated officials and whether fresh local government elections can be conducted while their tenure subsists.

Dismissing claims that the APC officials forcefully reoccupied the secretariats in January 2026, Olabisi said they merely returned to offices they were already lawfully occupying.

The dispute has deepened political tensions in Osun State, with the APC, PDP and civil society groups locked in a battle over the control of local government councils, raising broader concerns about the rule of law, constitutional order and the role of security agencies in grassroots political conflicts.