By Ayomide Otitoju
OSOGBO – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won all chairmanship and councillorship seats in the 30 local government areas (LGAs) of Osun State, as announced by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) on Saturday.
The election proceeded despite warnings from the Nigeria Police Force and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, who had advised against conducting the poll due to legal and security concerns.
OSSIEC Chairman Hashim Abioye defended the decision to proceed, citing a judgment from the Osun State High Court in Ilesa, which directed the commission to conduct elections for the vacant council positions.
Voting commenced as early as 8 a.m. across the 30 LGAs, including Ede North, where Governor Ademola Adeleke cast his ballot. After voting, Adeleke described the process as peaceful, emphasizing his earlier call for a violence-free election. “Osun State is a peaceful state, and I urged my people to conduct themselves accordingly,” he said.
However, the election faced major challenges. OSSIEC accused the police of sealing off its headquarters in Osogbo and arresting some of its staff. In response, the commission relocated to an undisclosed location to finalize the election process.
Security concerns had been heightened after clashes between PDP and All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters earlier in the week left at least six people dead. The violence stemmed from disputes over control of local government councils.
The AGF had argued that a recent Court of Appeal ruling in Akure on February 10, 2025, had overturned an earlier Federal High Court decision that sacked APC-backed local council chairmen in November 2022. He insisted that the appellate court’s verdict effectively restored the APC officials and questioned the legitimacy of the election.
Tensions escalated further after Governor Adeleke accused security agencies of colluding with APC leaders, including Minister Gboyega Oyetola, to seize local government secretariats. Adeleke had called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene, but no official action was taken to prevent the confrontations.
With PDP’s landslide victory in the election, the state remains on edge as legal and political battles over the control of local government councils are expected to continue.