The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won all the chairmanship and councillorship seats in all the 30 local government areas (LGAs) in Osun State.
The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) Chairman, Hashim Abioye, announced this at a press conference on Saturday.
The commission defied warnings by the police and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, to put the poll on hold.
The commission relied on a judgement of the Osun State High Court in Ilesa, which ordered the electoral agency to conduct elections for the vacant chairmen and councillors in the 30 LGAs.
The exercise commenced in some local governments as early as 8 a.m. on Saturday in all 30 local councils in the South-West state, including the Ede North LGA, where Governor Ademola Adeleke cast his vote.
The governor, after the civic responsibility, described the exercise as peaceful. “The process has been very peaceful; I made a broadcast to my good people of Osun State that this election should be peaceful; there should be no violence because Osun State is a very peaceful state,” he said.
Earlier, the state electoral commission boss accused the police of sealing the commission’s headquarters in Osogbo, the state capital, and arresting some personnel. Abioye, however, said the commission moved to an undisclosed location to carry out its constitutional duty.
The police had cautioned against the poll on Friday, citing security threats. The police had said it received credible intelligence indicating a likelihood of violence.
The police warning followed the stance of the AGF, which asked the state governor to put the local government election on hold.
According to the justice minister on Friday, the Court of Appeal, Akure division, on February 10, 2025, nullified the judgement of the Federal High Court, Osogbo, delivered on November 25, 2022.
The AGF said the appellate court’s verdict implied that the All Progressives Congress (APC) local council chairmen formerly sacked by the lower court had been restored.
At least six persons have been confirmed dead since Monday, when APC and PDP members clashed in Osun State over the control of local government councils.
Before the clash, the governor said on Sunday that APC members backed by security agencies want to hijack the council secretariats in the state.
The governor, who belongs to the PDP, had asked President Bola Tinubu to caution one of his ministers, Gboyega Oyetola of the APC, over the impending clash, but such a measure appeared not to have been put in place hence the escalation.
