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Allegation useless, says Osun govt
From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Ajibola Basiru, has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of deliberately causing communal disputes by imposing his allies as traditional rulers in Osun communities.
Speaking with journalists on Wednesday, Basiru said the removal of some traditional rulers through a white paper—recently faulted by the court—was the beginning of the problems caused by Adeleke’s government.
He stressed that the removal of some traditional rulers who were installed in line with due process and chieftaincy law had caused untold hardship to some communities.
He said Igbajo, Ikirun, and Iree are still in court over the “illegal” removal of their monarchs by the Adeleke government. Basiru stated that the recent crisis between Esa-Oke and Ido Ajegunle, where Adeleke imposed someone from Ilesa to rule over Esa-Oke, shows that the government deliberately disobeyed the chieftaincy law.
The APC scribe also said the disputes between Ifon and Ilobu; Ido-Osun and Halleluyah; Ede and Egbedi; and the recent government action on the Iragbiji chieftaincy matter indicate that Adeleke is deliberately causing crises and has lost his grip on security in the state.
He said, “The governor is only giving false hope to residents of the state that he is in control, but he is not. Communal crises in different parts of the state, characterised by killing, maiming, and arson, are signs that the government has lost grip on security.
“Unfortunately, Adeleke is majorly the precipitator of these clashes and wrangling because he approved controversial chieftaincy matters to cause issues in peaceful domains,” Basiru said.
According to him, any government that fails to prioritise the protection of the lives and properties of its people has failed and should be ready to hand over to a capable person.
He said the APC would soon take over and end “all the shenanigans of Adeleke’s reign in 2026, and Osun State will be the most peaceful state in Nigeria again, like the days of progressives.”
Responding, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, described the allegations and claims of the APC chieftain as “baseless,” insisting that Adeleke is in charge.
He said, “It is quite unfortunate that Basiru is playing politics with this matter. Adeleke visited all these places and also set up a panel of inquiry to resolve the matter. The accusations are useless, fallacious, and laughable. Adeleke is not the cause of the crises.”
