Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has condemned the continued occupation of local government secretariats by chairmen and councillors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing their self-awarded tenure extension as illegal, unconstitutional, and a threat to democracy.
The governor’s position was made public on Monday in a post by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on X (formerly Twitter).
Adeleke insisted that the tenure of elected officials in Nigeria cannot be extended beyond the period prescribed by law, citing established Supreme Court precedents.
“It is a settled matter of law that the tenure of elected officials in Nigeria cannot be extended for a single day after the expiration of their tenure,” the governor said.
He referenced the Supreme Court judgment involving former Oyo State Governor Rashidi Ladoja, where the apex court ruled that a governor’s tenure could not be extended despite being unlawfully removed from office for 11 months.
According to Adeleke, court documents, including filings at the Supreme Court, show that the APC chairmen and councillors—through their legal representatives and the Attorney-General of the Federation—had admitted they had no lawful claim to office beyond October 22, 2025.
He further noted that the APC officials had approached the Federal High Court seeking an extension of their expired tenure, describing the move as a clear admission that their term had already ended.
“Assuming, without conceding, that the APC chairmen and councillors had any tenure at all, that tenure expired on October 22, 2025,” Adeleke stated.
The governor questioned the state of democracy in the country, lamenting what he described as a disregard for the rule of law in Osun State.
“I sometimes wonder if we are really under a democratic system of government. In Osun State, it seems the APC chairmen and councillors, whose so-called tenure has expired, are above the law,” he said.
Adeleke disclosed that he had written to the heads of relevant federal security agencies over actions he said were capable of threatening peace and public order in the state.
He called on Nigerians, civil society groups, and democracy advocates to join in demanding an immediate end to what he described as a siege on local government councils in Osun State.
“I therefore call on Nigerians and all those who sacrificed so much for our democracy to join us in demanding an immediate end to the siege on our local governments,” the governor said.
