Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has accused his predecessor and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of “a deliberate plot to create chaos and anarchy” in the state from Monday.
In a press conference on Sunday, Mr Adeleke alleged that Mr Oyetola was using his biological ties with President Bola Tinubu to enforce illegality.
“I, however, regret to inform Mr President and the public that Mr Gboyega Oyetola has concluded an arrangement to cause mayhem in Osun State starting from Monday,” said Mr Adeleke.
He added, “He is issuing illegal directives to security operatives to enforce illegality simply because he is the nephew of Mr President.”
The governor alleged that Mr Oyetola was planning to enforce an “unlawful” court order reversing the sack of the local government chairs elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform.
Mr Adeleke claimed Mr Oyetola is to be aided by the state police commissioner, the state director of the Security Service (SSS) and the commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
“The bone of contention is the brazen effrontery to return to office council chairmen sacked by a subsisting court judgment using a different court decision, which has no consequential order.
“Let me make it clear that the said council chairmen were sacked before I was sworn in as governor of Osun State, contrary to the lies being peddled, that the chairmen and councillors were sacked by my executive order,” the governor said.
Mr Adeleke, however, expressed confidence that Mr Tunubu could not authorise such a “dictatorial violation of the constitution” capable of generating bloodbath and bloodshed.
“The script Mr Oyetola is playing is about the most reprehensible abuse of power in this fourth republic capable of untold and unforeseen consequences on the polity,” the governor stated.
Mr Adeleke urged the Nigerian Bar Association to fact-check his government’s claims by reading and interpreting the judgments.
“It is illegal, unconstitutional, and anti-democratic to take the law into your own hands. For a serving minister, the person of Mr Gboyega Oyetola, to lead the charge to violate the constitution and foment violence over a judicial process is not only shameful but is sadism and treason taken too far,” Mr Adeleke said.
The governor alleged that Mr Oyetola held meetings with the police, stressing that the minister lacks constitutional authority to issue directives to the security agencies.
“These need to stop because we are neither interested in resorting to self-help nor in support of violence to resolve political matters. As much as we are law-abiding people, we are fierce protectors of our rights, at night and by the day,” Mr Adeleke said.
The governor emphasised that the state residents will not accept any attempt to impose illegality and anarchy on them.
He appealed to the president to instruct Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, the director-general of SSS, Adeola Ajayi, and the commandant general of the NSCDC to disobey the illegal order.
Mr Adeleke has just successful made the world to know that Oyetola and the president are cousins. Good for that information. He is only shouting because he knows that APC will claim back her mandates and get him off the course. Congratulations for that too.
The president believed so much on the rule of the law. So, let the law take its course.