Politics
S’ court judgement: Oyo PDP finally breaks silence, says APC falsely claimed victory
Sequel to the May 7 ruling of the Supreme Court on the tussle over local Council administration which favoured the elected local government chairmen sacked by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, has asked leaders of the opposition All Progressives Congress to bury their heads in shame for proclaiming a spurious victory.
Oyo PDP, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Engr. Akeem Olatunji, on Saturday, said Governor Seyi Makinde deserved to be hailed as a special prophet who saw tomorrow because he had earlier offered the sacked ALGON chairmen the same conditions they got from the Apex Court on Friday.
“It will be recalled that Engr. Seyi Makinde had asked the State’s negotiation team set up to find an out-of- court settlement (at the earlier stages if the trial) to propose the offront payment of the salaries of the embattled ALGON Chairmen, but they were misadvised by their greedy leaders whose target was the treasury of the local governments. It is obvious that Governor Makimde actually saw tomorrow,” Olatunji said.
Oyo PDP, also described the state chapter of the APC as a bunch of shameless politicians who will always display their rookie knowledge of politics.
The ruling party in Oyo state said that only rookie politicians with very high level of delusionary tendencies would expect to get a different judgement from any court of law, looking at the facts of the matter.
In fact, they should count themselves lucky because the Supreme Court was more than generous to them when it overlooked the series of slap the APC inflicted on the court system in the process of installing what it described as the ‘all gone ALGON members’, stressing that the illegality perpetrated by the APC government when it imposed its members on Oyo Councils, flouting in the process, every laid down electoral regulations and guidelines, would easily found conspicuous space in the Guinness Book of World Records.
“The APC in Oyo State and its forever gone ALGON members is just an empty vesel that makes loud noises, full of fury and agony for no just cause.
“They but they think that everyone else is as politically naive as they are, forgetting that the law, ordinarily is never based on parochial sentiments.
“That some APC leaders are jubilating and dancing macabre dance over the zero success they recorded at the Supreme Court is shameful and an open display of the myopic thinking of uninformed politicians.
“They want the public to forget that the real prayers at the Supreme Court was that they be returned to office as chairmen, a quest that was thrown away like rotten fruits, when the Apex Court declared that their tenure had expired.
“How can any right- thinking politician muscle up motivation to celebrate such a zero success?
But their shamelessness has shown clearly because in actual sense, it is not such an easy task to embark on such a wild goose chase and be so disgraced at every court approached.
“The fact of the matter is that the case actually favoured PDP Starboy Governor Seyi Makinde, our very own world striker!
We are not surprised that in their usual manner, the APC is mouthing victory when they came out the worst for it .
The people are aware of their tricks have since deciphered the emptiness in the cancerous APC and their agents of propaganda.
“The simple fact is that the Supreme Court, in its judgement, noted that the the tenures of the sacked Council chairmen and Councillors have expired and only reiterated the earlier stance of the Governor Seyi Makinde- led Oyo State Government, which had offered compensation to the sacked local government chairmen before now.
“Unfortunately, as it is their stock in trade, the APC went to town touting all sorts of claims and spreading lies with the sole intent of misinforming some uninformed members of the public and its members.
“Governor Makinde, without the court willingly moved to offer them compensations in a peace parley but they rejected it saying they only want to be returned to office. Now that they went ahead to the Supreme Court, what did they get? The Apex Court only said hey! your tenure has since expired, you can only get paid some compensations.
That’s exactly what Governor Makinde had , offered. What really are they rejoicing over?
“It is even more laughable that a man like the former Governor Alao Akala, is telling the state not to proceed with democratic elections, that will usher in chairmen in the state.
“We are not surprised at such ludicrous reasoning because as we recall, the APC, an epitome of illegality and corruption, used caretaker local government chairmen for seven out of its eight, while only setting up the sacked ALGON chairmen as a booby trap to destabilise the Makinde administration.
“They should not think that the people have forgotten so soon such the draconian governance that epitomized modern day slavery, which APC represented in Oyo State between May 2011 and May 2019.
“The PDP in Oyo State has come to usher in true Democracy and we have been doing that for the past two years. The days of impunity and illegality as imposed by the riotous and inept APC are over.
“The APC and their outgone ALGON who see their failure as a pass mark should prepare to go back to court for its own political miscalculation.
“The APC family in Oyo state should cover their eyes in shame at least for the sake of honour and dignity. Tenure has since expired. They can’t go to work, they are gone, they are politically jobless, but no! APC in our dear state never keeps quiet not even when they utter sounds without any form of meaning.
“The local government election billed for 22nd of May will hold and all participating political parties will present their best materials before the people to be elected and funny enough we will not be allowed to be drawn back to the dark days of APC administration where the people at the grassroots where denied local government administration”, the statement concluded.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the Governor of Ekiti State and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
The Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, announced the result at about 3:13 a.m. on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti, saying Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rivals and secure a second term in office.
According to Oladiji, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Oluwole Oluyede, garnered 40,543 votes, while the African Democratic Congress candidate, Dare Bejide, secured 12,872 votes.
She said 384,940 voters were accredited for the election, while 375,777 valid votes were recorded. The electoral umpire also announced that 6,332 votes were rejected, bringing the total number of votes cast to 382,109.
The declaration capped a governorship poll largely adjudged peaceful by observers and security agencies, despite complaints of malfunctioning Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines, delayed commencement of voting in some polling units and allegations of voter intimidation by opposition parties.
INEC said voting was conducted in all the 2,445 polling units across the state’s 16 local government areas, noting that 2,257 units, representing 92.31 per cent, opened before 8.30 a.m., while 188 polling units commenced accreditation and voting before 10.30 a.m. after experiencing minor delays.
The commission also commenced uploading polling unit results to its Results Viewing Portal shortly after the completion of voting and counting in several centres.
The PDP candidate, Oluyede, had expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the exercise at Ugele/Arokun Ward in Ikere Local Government Area, alleging that many prospective voters were disenfranchised due to BVAS-related challenges.
Speaking with journalists after voting at Polling Unit 006, he further alleged cases of harassment and intimidation of voters in the area.
Some elderly voters at the polling unit also lamented difficulties encountered during accreditation and urged INEC to urgently rectify the technical glitches.
The ADC candidate, Bejide, similarly alleged irregularities during the exercise.
However, Oyebanji dismissed the claims, insisting that those making allegations of electoral misconduct should provide credible evidence to support them.
The governor, who voted at Polling Unit 003, Okelele, Ikogosi-Ekiti, in Ekiti West Local Government Area, described the election as satisfactory and urged eligible voters yet to cast their ballots to do so peacefully.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of election security, Abayomi Shogunle, said no case of vote-buying was reported to security agencies throughout the exercise.
Election observers commended the peaceful atmosphere that characterised the poll but raised concerns over procedural inconsistencies.
The First Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Sebastian Anyia, described the process as orderly and peaceful, saying voter turnout was encouraging.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Brenda Anugwom, lauded the resilience of female voters, many of whom remained at polling units for several hours with their children to exercise their franchise.
Yiaga Africa, however, expressed concern over discrepancies involving ballot papers, result sheets and INEC’s published list of candidates, warning that such inconsistencies could create challenges during collation and reconciliation of results.
The election observer group urged INEC to provide further clarification on the final list of participating parties and candidates and issue clear guidance to electoral officials handling result documentation.
Ahead of the poll, INEC and security agencies had repeatedly assured residents of their preparedness to deliver a peaceful, credible and transparent election, deploying personnel and restricting vehicular movement to forestall electoral violence and other offences.
The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has rejected plans by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to conduct another local government election on December 26, 2026, describing the proposed exercise as illegal, premature and a calculated move to retain political influence at the grassroots beyond the governor’s tenure.
The party declared that it would neither participate in the election nor remain silent over what it termed an attempt to squander public resources on a process allegedly designed to install loyalists in the 33 local government councils and 351 wards across the state.
The controversy followed the decision of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) to shift the date earlier fixed for January 2027 to December 26, 2026, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The move has continued to generate debate among political observers, many of whom have questioned the urgency of conducting another council poll barely six months before the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent chairmen and councillors elected in the 2024 local government elections.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the APC said it would not stop at boycotting the election but would also collaborate with “patriots and rational minds” to resist what it called an unnecessary expenditure of taxpayers’ money.
The party accused Governor Makinde of lacking commitment to local government autonomy, alleging that the administration had exercised undue control over council resources for more than seven years.
“The whole world knows that Governor Makinde does not believe in local government autonomy and, when it comes to democracy at the grassroots, he cannot be trusted for anything,” the statement said.
The APC alleged that the proposed poll was aimed at positioning individuals loyal to the governor in local councils before his exit from office on May 29, 2027, arguing that such a move would enable him to sustain political influence after leaving the Agodi Government House.
According to the opposition party, expectations among many residents are centred on ongoing efforts by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to strengthen local government autonomy and ensure that councils enjoy direct access to their statutory allocations without interference from state governments.
The APC also linked what it described as poor development outcomes in some rural communities to the operation of the state-local government joint account system. It cited communities such as Ahoro Esiele and Yawota in Oriire Local Government Area, which have reportedly faced security challenges, as examples of areas where local government resources should have translated into visible improvements.
“It is sad that Governor Makinde appears determined to sustain a system that has left many rural communities vulnerable despite huge allocations accruing to local governments monthly,” the party said.
The opposition further dismissed the local government elections conducted in 2020 and 2024 as lacking credibility, alleging that winners emerged through predetermined outcomes rather than a transparent electoral process.
“The fraud called local government polls in 2020 and 2024 should be the last the people of Oyo State would witness. Governor Makinde and his supporters should bury any thought of staging another charade in which results are announced without genuine voting and public offices become tools for the diversion of public funds,” the statement added.
The APC consequently urged officials of OYSIEC to halt preparations for the proposed December election, warning against actions capable of undermining democratic values and public confidence in the electoral process.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Oyo State Government nor OYSIEC had issued an official response to the allegations raised by the opposition party.
The lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Aderemi Oseni, on Saturday mobilised thousands of artisans and traders across Oyo State in support of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Oseni said the support base of the Remi Oseni Committee of Friends (ROCOF), in collaboration with other stakeholders, was intensifying efforts to deliver one million votes for the President in the state.
Oseni, Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), said artisans and traders must see themselves as critical stakeholders in President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that the success of the administration depends largely on grassroots participation.
The federal lawmaker spoke in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, during a stakeholders’ engagement with members of the ROCOF Progressive Workers and Traders’ Associations.
In a symbolic show of political readiness, scores of traders and artisans displayed their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), while Oseni urged eligible Nigerians yet to register to obtain their voter cards ahead of the next general election.
He cautioned against vote-buying and vote-selling, warning that such practices threaten the future of democracy and mortgage the destiny of younger generations.
The meeting, according to Oseni, was also convened to deepen economic support for members through empowerment programmes targeted at strengthening businesses and improving livelihoods.
He announced that requests for a N250 million interest-free loan scheme for artisans and traders, construction of an artisans’ village with stable electricity supply, and health insurance support had received approval.
According to him, the loan facility will be administered through a microfinance bank under the Remi Oseni Foundation to ensure transparency, accessibility and sustainability.
He added that road and infrastructure projects across communities would remain a major priority.
Oseni, who is seeking to represent Oyo South Senatorial District in the next election cycle, also used the meeting to explain his decision to pursue a Senate seat instead of his earlier governorship ambition.
He said the move followed consultations with party leaders and supporters.
According to him, supporters deserved clarity on the political direction of the movement.
He said: “We convened this stakeholders’ meeting to review our present position. Before now, our focus was on leading Oyo State through the governorship. That was our clear objective as a movement, but today, it has become evident that God is directing us towards the Senate.
“Our people needed to understand the reasons for this decision, the position of the party and what we have accepted in the overall interest of our political future. It is not enough for leaders to take decisions. We owe our supporters explanations and must carry them along.
“We have encouraged them to embrace this opportunity in good faith and believe that greater opportunities still lie ahead.
“Many of them felt our governorship ambition would have delivered greater benefits, but we have reassured them that the government remains supportive and the future is bright.
“We have equally assured the President that our decision to pursue the Oyo South Senate seat will not affect the one million votes earlier promised him, because ROCOF structures across the 33 local government areas are fully mobilised and committed to his re-election.”
On the crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC), Oseni said efforts were ongoing to reconcile aggrieved members, expressing confidence that outstanding differences would soon be resolved.
He described competing interests within the party as a reflection of the APC’s growing strength and political attractiveness.
Earlier, the Oyo State Coordinator of ROCOF Progressive Workers and Traders’ Associations, Alhaji Munirudeen Adegoke, described Oseni’s empowerment drive as a strategic investment capable of reducing unemployment, youth restiveness and poverty.
Adegoke said meaningful empowerment for artisans and traders must go beyond temporary palliatives.
According to him, sustainable support requires deliberate policies that guarantee access to capital, improved infrastructure and social protection.
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