The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has declared that his administration will reopen local government areas across the state and restore their operations.
Adeleke made the declaration in Osogbo, on Thursday, during a reception organised in his honour by the leadership of the state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the party’s state secretariat.
Adeleke likened the political forces confronting his administration to the Biblical Pharaoh, while addressing cheering supporters. He said that those opposed to his government were unsettled by his achievements.
“We will get our local government back and running. They want to hold Osun down. They are shocked with our delivery and transformation of Osun; they want to keep Osun from developing,” he said.
“Will you allow them, great members of PDP and good people of Osun State? Should we go to the past again? Should we return to bad governance again?” He asked party members.
The governor urged residents to sustain what he described as good governance, while calling on the people to participate in the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration (CVR), exercise to secure their Permanent Voter Cards.
“We must sustain good governance. We must sustain the tempo. The good work must continue. Osun people are with us. God is with us. We shall overcome the Pharaohs facing us,” Adeleke said.
The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, and Deputy Senate Minority Leader, Senator Lere Oyewumi, in their remarks urged PDP members to remain steadfast and supportive of the governor.
They also appealed to party members and residents to actively partake in the CVR ahead of the 2026 governorship elections in the state.
Local government activities in Osun have remained paralysed since February 17, following a power tussle between the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC), over control of the councils.
The APC insist that the Court of Appeal in Akure, in its February 10, 2025, judgment, reinstated officials elected during the October 15, 2022, elections, who were previously sacked by a Federal High Court ruling in Osogbo in November 2022.
Meanwhile, the ruling PDP maintains that chairmen and councillors elected during the February 22, 2025, polls possess the valid mandate to oversee the affairs of the local governments.