Stakeholders Hail APC For Preventing Chaos In Osun State

According to Ireporter Online, a leading aspirant for the Osun State governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Omooba Dotun Babayemi, has applauded the party’s legal approach to resolving the ongoing local government crisis, saying it has saved the state from potential chaos.

Babayemi explained that by resorting to the courts, the APC had demonstrated responsibility and adherence to the rule of law, thereby averting what could have led to destruction of property, bloodshed, and loss of lives. He commended the party leadership for prioritising lawful means in addressing the controversy surrounding the resumption of office by the party’s elected local government chairmen and councillors.

The governorship hopeful also lauded the perseverance of the local government chairmen and councillors, praising them for maintaining peace and refraining from taking the law into their own hands. He stressed that the party’s interventions, combined with the calmness and understanding of its elected officials, had prevented Osun from being thrown into confusion.

In a statement from his media office, Babayemi said: “The legal intervention at every point in time by APC leaders and stakeholders since the local government problems began this year has shown the world that APC is a party of peace and law-abiding. Were it not so, our dear state would have by now been plunged into lawlessness.”

He further clarified that the autonomy granted to local governments, which formed the basis of the current dispute, was not a creation of any individual in Osun but a constitutional provision reinforced by the Supreme Court. According to him, strict adherence to the principle of federalism and recognition of the three tiers of government would foster true grassroots development.

Babayemi praised the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, and the Tajudeen Lawal-led APC executive in Osun for their efforts in ensuring that the crisis was amicably managed through legal recourse. He noted that their actions, alongside the maturity of council chairmen and councillors, had kept the state from spiraling into widespread unrest.

He also appealed to striking members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to end their industrial action and return to work for the benefit of the state, particularly residents at the grassroots level, who, according to him, are the most affected by the lingering crisis.