Amid a leadership crisis affecting local government councils in Osun State, Governor Ademola Adeleke held a two-hour meeting on Tuesday with Bisi Akande, former interim national chairman of APC, at the latter’s residence in Ibadan.
The meeting was part of Governor Adeleke’s efforts to update key stakeholders on the ongoing developments.
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Mr Adeleke was accompanied during the surprise visit by several key officials, including the Secretary to the Osun State Government, Teslim Igbalaye; the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun; the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi; the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Bunmi Jenyo; and the Chief of Staff to the governor, Kazeem Akinleye.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke revealed that the visit was part of a broader initiative to engage stakeholders across the state regarding the recent controversies surrounding local government leadership in Osun.
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The statement said the governor is scheduled to visit and update key leaders of thought on the development in a special Thursday briefing session with the state Council of Traditional Rulers.
According to the statement, “Today, Governor Adeleke visited elder statesman and former governor of the state, Chief Bisi Akande, at his Ibadan residence to kickstart the briefing programme.
“The Governor, accompanied by top state officials, also discussed pressing state and national issues with the former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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“On the local government issue, the governor narrated the position of the state government over recent legal controversies and restated his commitment to the rule of law for the resolution of the issues.
“According to the Governor, there is a 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.
“The governor further conveys the support of the Osun State government for the administration of President Bola Tinubu, informing the elder statesman that the state government enjoys a warm partnership with the Federal Government across all sectors.
Mr Adeleke was quoted to have stated, “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 family dates back to my late dad. I choose to start the consultation with this visit.”
Responding, Mr Akande, a former governor of Osun State, commended the governor for the visit, describing the development as a welcome one despite differences in political affiliations.
APC condemns Adeleke’s visit to Akande
However, the Osun State chapter of the APC has said Adeleke’s pilgrimage to Akande’s residence in Ibadan cannot save him from the mess occasioned by the crisis bedevilling local government councils in the state.
The opposition party chided Mr Adeleke over the visit, saying that his bid to crave a soft landing regarding the prevailing logjam on the reinstated council chairpersons and councillors in the state will fail.
A statement by the APC’s director of media and information in Osun, Kola Olabisi, said, “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 interests of his party.
The statement reads, “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 does not add up that a governor whose directive resulted in the killings of our members and others across the state could think he could fool the people again through the back door.
READ ALSO: Adeleke inaugurates newly elected LG chairpersons as APC kicks
“The walkabout of Governor Adeleke and his acolytes to Pa Akande pointed to the fact that they have lost the game irredeemably. If we may ask, why is Governor Adeleke afraid of approaching the Supreme Court for redress if indeed he is convinced that he has a genuine case?
“We find it difficult to find a rationale where a robber would be pleading with the owner of an item to allow him to steal his property. It is a mirage that will never come to reality. Our golden advice to the troubled Governor Adeleke is that he should partner with the reinstated council chairmen and councillors to ensure the dividends of democracy cut across the length and breadth of the state,” the statement concluded.
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