Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state are engaged in a heated dispute over the collection of market revenue by local government chairmen, with both parties accusing each other of misconduct and threatening legal action.
The conflict stems from the February 2025 reinstatement of APC-elected chairmen to local councils following a court ruling. While the APC maintains that these chairmen are legally empowered to oversee market revenue collection, Adeleke has issued a stern warning against their activities, labeling them as illegal.
In a statement released on Sunday, Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, called for the Osun State Commissioner of Police to intervene, accusing APC council chairmen of engaging in illegal tax collection, falsifying council documents, and exploiting traders with fraudulent charges. Specifically, Adeleke mentioned the Boripe Local Government Chairman, who allegedly set up a revenue taskforce in defiance of the law.
“This act disrespects the court,” said Adeleke, referring to the ongoing legal battle over the APC council officials’ removal from office. He urged the police to investigate the illegal revenue activities and take swift action.
However, the APC hit back, accusing Adeleke of undermining the Constitution. APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, argued that since the Appeal Court ruling on February 10, the APC chairmen are lawfully reinstated and are within their rights to supervise market activities. They also claimed that the state government’s efforts to prevent them from resuming office are a violation of the court’s decision.
“The governor should act decently and honorably,” said Olabisi, calling on the police to curb what they described as “disruptive” actions by Adeleke’s administration.
Adeleke has further warned the public about what he described as a new round of “illegality,” urging the police to take immediate action against those involved in fraudulent revenue collection. He also instructed his Special Adviser on Security to coordinate with the police to ensure that illegal activities are curtailed before the situation escalates further.
The APC, however, stands firm in their stance that the reinstated chairmen are simply fulfilling their constitutional duties and overseeing market affairs as mandated by the Court of Appeal’s decision. They urged the police to caution the state government, warning that further interference would only exacerbate political instability in Osun State.
“One wonders why Governor Adeleke is afraid of approaching the Supreme Court if he is angry that the Court of Appeal backed the elected chairmen to return to their office to exercise the mandate given to them by the electorate in October 2022. The governor should act decently and honourably, rather than knocking his head on the wall, pacing maniacally like a bull in a china shop.”
APC asked the police bosses to warn Adeleke and others causing trouble.
They reminded him that the Constitution does not give the state government power over market affairs.
They added, “We resolve that the political instability which Governor Adeleke has courted in recent time, and which his faction of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has been conscripted to energize, would be given to him in full dosage if he decides to prevent the recognized, lawfully elected and reinstated local government council chairmen from performing their constitutional duties.”
