- Sacks 12,000 workers
- Dethrones three monarchs
- Suspends OSIEC chairman, others
- State Assembly disagrees with governor
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has sacked 12,000 workers and ordered the dethronement of three monarchs.
Adeleke also nullified the appointment of 30 Permanent Secretaries and suspended the chairman and members of Osun State Independent Electoral Commission.
Monarchs dethroned by Adeleke include Akinrun of Ikinrun Oba Yinusa Akadiri; Aree of Ire Oba Ademola Oluponle and Owa of Igbajo, Oba Gboyega Famodun.
He ordered the monarch to vacate the palace, asking security operatives to take over.
Adeleke in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Olawale Rasheed, said he signed the Executives Orders which covered chieftaincy matters, appointments issues, setting up of a review panel, staff audit and employment matters.”
“All employment in the service of Osun State Government made in any capacity into any capacity in all the Ministries, Departments, Agencies, Commissions, Boards and Parastatals after July 17th, 2022 be and are hereby nullified.
“Executive Order Number Five on Chieftaincy Affairs and appointment of traditional rulers.
All appointments of traditional rulers made by Osun State Government after 17th July, 2022, are hereby ordered to be reviewed to ensure there was strict compliance with due process of chieftaincy declarations and native law, custom and tradition relating to such chieftaincies.
“In the case of Ikirun, Iree and Igbajo, to avoid further breakdown of law and order, the appointments of Akinrun of Ikinrun, Aree of Ire and Owa of Igbajo are hereby put on hold pending review. Subsequently, the palaces of Akinrun of Ikirun, Aree of Iree and Owa of Igbajo should remain unoccupied, while security agencies are hereby ordered to take charge.”
Secretary to the Osun State Government, Tesleem Igbalaye, in a statement also announced the suspension of the chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Segun Oladitan, and its members.
Others are: Yusuf Oyeniran, Suibat Adubi, Prince Yinka Ajiboye, Abosede Omibeku, Dosu Gidigbi, and Wahab Adewoyin.
However, the Osun State House of Assembly has disagreed with Governor Adeleke over his decision to reverse the slogan of the state among other insignia.
One of the major decisions that the new governor announced in his inaugural speech was the change of the name of the state from the State of Osun to Osun State. Adeleke also reversed the Osun slogan from “The State of the Virtues” to “The State of the Living Spring” saying that “State of Osun” is unconstitutional.
Reacting, the state lawmakers, in a statement signed by the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity, for and on behalf of the Assembly, Mostood Akande, on Monday, dared the governor as they continued to use “State of Osun.”
They disagreed with Adeleke on the usage of slogan, crest, state anthem and flag, saying they are enactments of law.
It reads, “State of Osun House of Assembly having reviewed the inaugural speech of the Governor and the activities of the inauguration hereby resolves as follows;
“The usage of the State Anthem, Crest and Flag is an enactment of law and as such, its usage is a matter of law and not choice.
“The enactment “State of Osun Anthem, Crest and Flag Law, 2012” assented to on the 18th of December, 2012 contained in Schedule 1, Il, Ill, IV and V, which carefully details every component of this law is not in ambiguity.
“Schedule I is the State Anthem, Schedule II has to do with the State Crest, Schedule III is the symbolic significance of the elements in the Flag.
“Lastly, while we are aware of a court judgment in effect recognizing “Osun State”, the Assembly, pending the determination and exhaustion of all legal means, would not be drawn into this matter.
“However, the State shall and will continue to be described as the State of the Virtuous (Ipinle Omoluabi),” the Assembly added.
In another development, the People’s Democratic Party has declared that the inauguration of Adeleke on Sunday as the Governor of Osun State is a pointer to the party’s victory in the 2023 general elections.
In its official reaction to the event and a congratulatory message, National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, stated in a series of tweets on Monday that “the joy that pervades Osun State, the South West and the country in general points to the coming victory of the PDP at all levels in the 2023 general elections.
“Governor Adeleke’s triumph at the polls and successful swearing-in is an indicator of the victory of the PDP Presidential Candidate, @Atiku Abubakar and his inauguration on May 29, 2023 to lead the charge in the PDP’s mission to Rescue, Rebuild and Redirect our nation from the suffocating misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
PDP further asserted that “fact that the PDP triumphed over the then ruling APC in Osun State, the home State of the APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, confirms that the APC has no foothold in Osun State without genuine followership in the entire South West and other parts of the country.
“People of Osun State are overjoyed because the coming of their beloved Governor Adeleke represents the attainment of a long-desired breath of fresh air and a new era of peace, transparency in government, infrastructural development and economic prosperity which has eluded them in the 12 darks years of untold suffering, deprivation and suppression under the insensitive APC,” the party claimed.
While congratulating the people of Osun State for “firmly resisting the massively corrupt and marauding APC to restore a purposeful, caring and development-oriented government under Governor Adeleke”, the PDP claimed that “the people’s confidence in Governor Adeleke is based on his proven capacity, competence, commitment to the wellbeing and development of the State and the PDP is delighted that the new governor already has his sleeves rolled up and has hit the ground running upon inauguration.”
It added that “our party congratulates Governor Adeleke and prays to God to grant him more wisdom and strength to rebuild Osun State and bring unity, happiness and economic prosperity to the people.”
