The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke's administration of targeting local government workers based on their perceived political affiliations. In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the party claimed that the Osun State Local Government Service Commission had set up a committee to investigate council workers suspected of supporting the opposition party during the August 15 governorship election.
The committee, chaired by Tunji Adeleke Jnr, who is also the governor's nephew and chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, has allegedly invited some affected workers to face an investigative and disciplinary panel. The APC claimed that some of the workers were instructed to bring their mobile phones to the panel, where the devices were reportedly searched for communications with APC members before and during the election.
The party also alleged that the committee is examining whether some members of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) operated accounts with a certain commercial bank, amid the ongoing dispute over local government funds. The APC described the alleged actions as inhumane, barbaric, and unconstitutional, stating that victimising LG workers based on their political affiliation is unacceptable.
According to the party, several council workers have reportedly been questioned in Osogbo about their political activities, banking transactions, and whether they voted for the APC in the August 15 governorship election. The APC claimed that workers' phones and bank alerts were examined, particularly for communications and transactions involving UBA, alleging that the exercise was aimed at identifying employees suspected of supporting the opposition.
The party alleged that some local government workers have been threatened with dismissal, suspension, or other disciplinary measures over their perceived political affiliations. The APC raised questions about the distinction between administrative investigations and political surveillance, arguing that voting in Nigeria is conducted through a secret ballot.
The APC called on Governor Adeleke to reactivate the accounts of local government workers whose salary payment accounts had allegedly been deactivated and disband the committee. The party urged the governor to immediately reactivate all the local government staff accounts that have been deactivated for salary payment and put a stop to what it described as the "sadistic approach to governance."
The allegations come amid a prolonged dispute over the administration and control of Osun's 30 local government councils, with the state government and APC-backed council officials maintaining opposing positions on the matter. The spokesperson to the state government, Olawale Rasheed, has not reacted to the allegations at the time of going to press.
Key points
- The Osun APC accused Governor Ademola Adeleke's administration of victimising local government workers over their alleged political affiliations.
- The party alleged that the governor's administration had set up a committee to investigate council workers suspected of supporting the opposition party during the August 15 governorship election.
- The APC called on Governor Adeleke to reactivate the accounts of local government workers and disband the committee.
