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JUST IN: Tension in Osun as controversial LG election holds amid security threats
There is tension in Osun State following Governor Ademola Adeleke’s insistence to conduct the controversial Local Government election despite security threats and stiff resistance from opposition parties.
Stakeholders, particularly opposition parties and security agencies, have raised concerns over the security situation in the state, predicting unrest.
The concerns followed previous events where members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, clashed, resulting in the death of at least six party members on Monday.
The crisis escalated when the previously sacked local government chairmen and councillors moved to return to council offices after a court judgement.
The APC members had moved to enforce the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, delivered on February 10, 2025, which overturned their sack by the verdict of the Osogbo Federal High Court on November 25, 2022.
Recall that a judgment by Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of an Osogbo Federal High Court, delivered on November 25, 2022, had sacked the chairmen and councillors elected in the poll conducted by the immediate past Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola.
However, the Court of Appeal nullified the judgment on February 10 this year, leading to chaos across all the Local Government Areas in the state.
Despite resistance from the PDP members, the reinstated Chairmen insisted that the planned election must be cancelled until their tenure elapsed in October 2025.
AGF warns Governor Adeleke against disobeying Appeal Court ruling
Wading into the crisis on Thursday, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi urged Governor Adeleke to respect the Appeal Court judgement, stating that the tenure of the chairmen and the councillors has been restored.
The AGF accused Governor Adeleke of attempting to override the judiciary and warned that proceeding with the election would constitute a serious violation of the Nigerian constitution.
According to him, such elections will “not only be invalid since the term of office of the elected officials just restored by the judgment of the Court of Appeal will still be running until October 2025, but it will also amount to an egregious breach of the Constitution which Governor Adeleke has sworn to uphold”.
Court orders conduct of polls SaturdayDespite the legal advice from the AGF, an Osun State High Court in Ilesa on Friday ordered the State Independent Electoral Commission, OSSIEC, to conduct elections for the LG chairmen and councillors in all the 30 council areas on Saturday (today).
Justice A. Aderigbigbe, who gave the judgement, stated that there is vacancy in the 30 local government areas of the state as earlier held in a judgement by the Federal High Court.
The court also directed and compelled all the security agencies, including the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services, DSS, Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, among others, to provide adequate security, during and after the election.
The grandson of Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, known as Olusegun Awolowo is dead.
His passing was announced today by the Awolowo family in a statement.
The statement reads:
Statement on the Passing of Olusegun Awolowo
“With extremely heavy hearts, we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather- Olusegun Awolowo.
“He was the world’s most phenomenal husband, father and grandfather — steady, wise, endlessly loving, and the constant anchor of our family.
A painfully loyal servant to Nigeria, he dedicated his life to the service of his country with vision, integrity, passion, and unwavering commitment.
He was a true family man, a great friend, a wonderful servant of God, and a deeply beautiful human being.
“He loved his family.
He loved his work.
He loved his country.
And he lived every day with purpose, humility, and a generous spirit that touched everyone who knew him.
“We are shattered by this loss, but forever grateful for his life, his legacy, and the love he poured into all of us. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.”
The statement added that “THE FAMILY WILL RECEIVE CONDOLENCES AT HIS RESIDENCE BETWEEN 2 – 4 PM DAILY.”
……Kanu’s Lawyer Ejimakor reveals next move after court judgment
Nnamdi Kanu’s legal team has vowed to appeal his life imprisonment sentence, insisting that the judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court “does not hold water.
”Speaking to reporters shortly after the verdict, Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, a consultant on the case, said they would take the matter to the Court of Appeal.
Ejimakor questioned the basis of the conviction, arguing that a man cannot be jailed for mere spoken words.
“What kind of precedent is being laid here? We are heading to the Court of Appeal,” he said.
“The Court of Appeal is the next forum in this country that sits as a jury. We will approach the justices to review what happened today, and we are confident they will see this as a travesty of justice.
”He added that if the Court of Appeal rules against them, they would proceed to the Supreme Court.
“Nnamdi Kanu is not going to stand convicted. The decision will be overturned,” he said.Ejimakor criticised the ruling as inconsistent with the evidence presented.
“This is the only day I have witnessed a man being convicted for mere pronouncements, for what he said, not for any act he committed.
“The sentence is overbroad, cruel, and unusual. How can someone be convicted for a broadcast from a location that was never named, without linking it to any act of violence or terrorism?,” he questioned.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, to life imprisonment.
The presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, handed down the sentence on counts one, four, five, and six, opting for life imprisonment instead of the death penalty.
The court said it was satisfied that Kanu made series of broadcasts to incite violence and killings, in furtherance of his separatist agitation for Biafra.
Trial Justice James Omotosho based his decision on what he described as “uncontroverted evidence” that was adduced before the court by the prosecution.
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BREAKING: Grandson of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Olusegun Awolowo, is dead.
UPDATE: Nnamdi Kanu to face Life imprisonment
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