News Update
Arising from the wave of local government leadership tussle in Osun state, the Centre for Justice and community advocacy, Nigeria (CJCAN) in conjunction with Initiative for local government development(ILGD) have called on the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency in the state.
Addressing a press conference on Friday at NUJ, the spokesperson for the Initiative for Local Government Development (ILGD), Comrade Adebayo Juliet Kanyinsola, stated that declaring a state of emergency in Osun State will not undermine democracy, saying it will save democracy, and restore constitutional governance, and protect lives.
“We are compelled to speak because the Osun State Government, under the leadership of Governor Ademola Adeleke, has continued in a brazen, deliberate, and dangerous disregard for the judgments of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and the Court of Appeal, particularly those recognizing the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led chairmen and councillors as the lawful administrators of local governments in the state.”
The Civil Rights added that Osun state is becoming a landscape where fear rules and the lives of the people are treated with what it termed as “grave experience” as on the continued disregard for court judgement in the state.
Further highlights the concerned of the organization, Secretary for the Initiative for Local Government Development (ILGD), Adeniyi Faith Ayomide, condemned the killings of the former local government chairman, Hon. Remi Abass.
“Disobedience to Court Judgments and Collapse of Constitutional Order
“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is clear. The Supreme Court is the final court of the land, and its judgments, alongside those of the Court of Appeal, are binding on all persons and authorities.”
“Yet, in Osun State, we have witnessed a troubling pattern where the government has:
Misinterpreted and distorted clear court judgments,
Refused to give effect to those judgments, and
Continued to interfere unlawfully in the administration of local governments.”
“By these actions, the Osun State Government has effectively placed itself above the Constitution. This is not a political disagreement; it is a constitutional breakdown. Section 1(3) of the Constitution is unambiguous: any action inconsistent with the Constitution is null and void. Governance in Osun State is no longer being carried out in accordance with the Constitution.”
“Misleading the Public and Endangering Security
“Equally disturbing is the systematic effort by the state government to mislead the public through false and selective interpretations of court judgments. This has:
Confused citizens about the lawful status of their local governments,
Weakened public confidence in the judiciary, and
Incited hostility against legally recognised APC-led chairmen and councillors.”
“This dangerous narrative has directly contributed to insecurity. When citizens are incited against lawful authorities, violence becomes inevitable. What we are seeing today in Osun State is a clear breach of public order, with dire consequences.”
“Loss of Innocent Lives and the Murder of Hon. Remi Abass
“Tragically, this lawlessness has already claimed innocent lives. We must state clearly and without equivocation that the refusal of Governor Ademola Adeleke to obey the judgment of the Court of Appeal has created the atmosphere of violence that led to these deaths.
“Most painfully, the Chairman of Irewole Local Government, Hon. Remi Abass, was brutally killed by political thugs within the premises of the Irewole Local Government Secretariat in Ikire. This was not an accident. It was the direct outcome of a breakdown of constitutional authority and the encouragement of illegality.
“A democracy where elected or lawfully recognised officials are murdered in their offices has descended into anarchy.
“Encouragement of Impostors and Parallel Governance
“We also condemn the encouragement and protection of impostors—individuals produced through illegal, kangaroo elections, the so-called sit-at-home chairmen—to lay claim to local government authority.
“Local governments are constitutionally recognised tiers of government. Promoting unauthorized persons to assume control amounts to:
Subversion of democratic structures,
Institutionalisation of illegality at the grassroots, and
Creation of parallel authorities.
“This confusion and rivalry at the local government level pose a direct threat to public order, peace, and national cohesion.
“Denial of Financial Autonomy and Governance Sabotage
“In the last one year, the Osun State Government has actively encouraged and backed illegal strike actions and stay-at-home protests by local government workers under the guise of NULGE. These actions were aimed at frustrating lawful local government administration and blocking access to financial allocations due to the councils.
As a result:
Councils have been rendered ineffective,
Salaries and development projects have been jeopardized, and Ordinary citizens have been denied essential services.
“When a state government deliberately sabotages governance at the grassroots, the Federal Government has a constitutional duty to intervene in defence of the people.
“Why a State of Emergency Is Constitutionally Justified
“Under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the President is empowered to declare a state of emergency where there is:
A breakdown of public order, or
A clear danger that governance cannot be carried on in accordance with the Constitution.
“The combined effect of:
Disobedience to Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judgments,
Misleading the public,
Encouraging impostors and parallel authorities,
Blocking local government financial autonomy, and
The loss of innocent lives,
amounts to a deliberate obstruction of constitutional governance in Osun State.
“A state of emergency in this context would not be punitive. It would be corrective, aimed at restoring legality, protecting lives, and re-establishing constitutional order.
Announcing the demands of the organization, Comrade Amusa Opeyemi, Secretary General,
Centre for Justice and Community Advocacy, Nigeria (CJCAN) stated; “We call on the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to urgently intervene to prevent further loss of lives. The Senate’s intervention and approval in the case of Rivers State were justified to prevent anarchy. Osun State has already experienced anarchy and remains under serious threat if urgent action is not taken.”
“We call on the Inspector-General of Police to hasten investigation and prosecution of all those responsible for the killing of Hon. Remi Abass, the Chairman of Irewole Local Government, in Ikire. Justice must not only be done; it must be seen to be done. Although some suspects are currently facing criminal charges in a federal high court in Abuja, the police authority must ensure that some suspects said to be on the run and at-large are immediately apprehended”
“We call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to declare a state of emergency in Osun State, strictly within the confines of the Constitution, for the purpose of restoring the rule of law, enforcing court judgments, and protecting innocent citizens.”
“The Constitution does not permit any governor or state government to choose which court judgments to obey, distort judicial decisions, or undermine local governments through unlawful means”, the Organization demanded.