The political crisis in Osun State intensified on Monday as the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) called for the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency following reports of violence and deaths. The state government, however, rejected the demand, accusing the APC of inciting mayhem to further their agenda.
Senator Ajibola Basiru, the National Secretary of APC, called for intervention, stating, “It has gotten to that stage where hapless people coming from farms are attacked by uncontrollable PDP thugs.” He suggested that declaring a state of emergency was the only way to restore peace.
In response, Kolapo Alimi, the Osun State Commissioner for Information, sharply criticized the APC’s stance, saying, “I call on our amiable president to reject the call of Honourable Bashiru and his cohorts. That is exactly what they are targeting, they deliberately caused mayhem in this state.”
The unrest began when reinstated local government chairmen and councillors, claiming to enforce a court ruling, resumed office in their respective local government areas. The attempt to reclaim their positions triggered violent clashes, especially in Oshogbo, Ikire, and Irewole, resulting in the death of one of the reinstated council chairmen, Remi Abbas.
Both the ruling PDP and opposition APC are blaming each other for the bloodshed, each party claiming that their members were the victims of the attacks.