SEVEN people have reportedly died as supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clashed in Osun State on Monday, February 17.
According to reports, the crisis led to the death of a former chairman of the Irewole Local Government Area, Aderemi Abbas, and others.
The crisis was triggered by a contentious Court of Appeal ruling that allegedly reinstated local government chairpersons and councillors sacked by the Federal Court court in 2022.
The state governor, Ademola Adeleke, raised concerns on Sunday, February 16, about a plan by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, and certain security agency heads to enforce the ruling and urged the public to hold them accountable for any violence that arose after the action.
However, violence erupted on Monday as supporters of both parties clashed at local government secretariats across the state, resulting in deaths and injuries.
Witnesses reported seeing hoodlums armed with charms and weapons intimidating bystanders and smashing the phones of those recording the chaos.
The police were deployed to restore order in some areas, including Olorunda Local Government Area, where APC members’ attempts to take over the council secretariat were met with resistance.
The violence spread to various parts of the state, including Osogbo, where gunshots were heard at the gate of Osogbo Central Local Government Area.
However, both parties have traded accusations over the violence.
In a chat with The ICIR on Monday, the spokesperson to the governor, Olawale Rasheed, confirmed that six people died in the violence.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered additional officers to the state.
This was disclosed in a statement by police spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi.
The police condemned the violence, describing it as a threat to democracy and public safety.
According to the statement, the newly deployed tactical squads will work alongside existing security operatives to restore law and order.
The IGP vowed to identify and prosecute those responsible for the violence and also issued a stern warning against further acts of lawlessness, hooliganism, and anarchy, assuring residents that security operatives would clamp down on anyone attempting to disrupt public peace.
The state governor and other prominent Nigerians have also expressed deep concerns over the violence and loss of lives in the state.
The ICIR reported on Monday that gunshots were fired in Osun State as supporters of the APC and the PDP clashed following the attempted reinstatement of sacked council chairpersons in the state.
Adeleke and Oyetola are at loggerheads over the interpretation of the Appeal Court’s ruling on the chairpersons who were elected on the APC platform but sacked by the Federal High Court in 2022.
The ICIR reported on Sunday that Adeleke raised the alarm over a plot by Oyetola, a former governor of the state, to plunge the state into chaos by reinstating the sacked chairpersons.
He claimed that the “unlawful takeover” also had the backing of security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the State Security Service (SSS), and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Commenting further on the alleged plot, Adeleke noted that the controversy stemmed from the 2022 local government elections in Osun, which were nullified by two separate Federal High Court judgments.
According to Adeleke, the Court of Appeal struck out the PDP’s case against the chairpersons but did not issue any consequential order reinstating them.
The governor also said the judgment obtained by the Action Peoples Party (APP), which also sacked the local government officials, remained unchallenged by the APC.
Reacting to the claim that security agencies in the state were part of the plot to reinstate the sacked officials, the APC in the state, which confirmed its party would reinstate the officials, denied the involvement of security agencies in the plan.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance