Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has condemned the illegal extension of self-conferred tenure by chairmen and councilors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that tenure extension is not permissible under the Nigerian Constitution and in terms of established Supreme Court precedents.
In a statewide broadcast from Osogbo, the governor said it is a settled matter of law that the tenure of elected officials in Nigeria cannot be extended beyond its expiry date, citing a Supreme Court judgment involving a former governor of Oyo State which held that tenure cannot be extended even after reinstatement following unlawful removal from office.
Adeleke disclosed that in several court filings which have become public documents, including the proceedings before the Supreme Court, lawyers to the APC chairmen and councilors as well as the Attorney-General of the Federation admitted that the officials had no legitimate claim to the office after October 22, 2025.
To further confirm that their tenure has expired, the governor said the APC chairmen and councilors have approached the Federal High Court seeking extension of their tenure, noting that although the case is yet to be heard, seeking extension is a clear acknowledgment in law and the fact that their tenure has expired.R
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Adeleke accused APC officials of continuing to occupy local government secretariats by force with police protection, allegedly on the instructions of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola.
The Governor lamented that in a democracy, APC chairmen and councilors, while claiming support for the former governor, openly threatened on their social media platforms to continue occupying local government secretariats as long as they wish.
Accusing Oyetola of allowing Osun State to breathe, Adeleke accused the former governor of weaponizing federal institutions, especially the Nigerian Police Force and the United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), to impose hardship on Osun residents through alleged illegal directives, adding that he had formally written to the heads of the relevant federal security agencies over the actions threatening peace and order in the state.
The Governor also accused UBA of allegedly allowing unauthorized persons to operate local government accounts, noting that the senior bank executives involved are already facing criminal prosecution, and questioned whether such conduct would be tolerated in jurisdictions such as New York or London where the bank operates.
He appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene by stopping the former governor from issuing alleged illegal directives to the police, warning that the President's name was being used without his knowledge to compel the Nigerian Police and UBA to take action.
