APC Mocks PDP’s Petition To Diplomatic Community, Global Rights Groups Over Osun LG Funds

By Favour Odanye, Osogbo

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to petition the diplomatic community and international human rights groups over alleged withholding of local government allocations as “a waste of time”.

In a press statement issued on Monday, signed by its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the APC mocked the ruling party for reporting a local legal issue to international NGOs that have no jurisdiction over Nigeria’s municipal laws.

“Writing petitions to NGOs is a waste of time. They have no jurisdiction. The PDP knows it has no case; that is why they refused to go to the Supreme Court or to file the necessary statutory forms”, Olabisi said.

He recalled that in a statement signed by PDP’s Chairman, Mr Sunday Bisi, the PDP alleged that the Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, were behind the local government crisis in Osun State by “deliberately disobeying” a Court of Appeal judgment reinstating PDP-elected council chairmen and councillors.

However, Olabisi countered this claim, insisting that the February 10, 2025, Court of Appeal judgment had already restored APC chairmen and councillors to office, adding that the PDP was misleading the diplomatic community to cover its political failures.

“It is not true that the allocations of the Osun State are being withheld and it is a fallacy that two ministers are behind their woes

“We understand the plight of the sunk Osun State PDP for coming around with such a frivolous, unfounded and fabricated allegation against the two eminent Nigerians as being responsible for their woes as it’s a mere ploy to keep the scattered and hopeless members of the party together”, Olabisi said.

APC also accused PDP of ignoring the right procedure to be adopted when a court order on issues not related to money payment is disobeyed, which is spelt out in Order 13, Sheriffs and Civil Process Act 2004.

The statement reads: You file Form 48: “Notice of Consequence of disobedience to Order of Court” – you file form 49: “Notice to show cause why order of attachment should not be made” – you file a motion for committal for contempt of court. Nowhere is it said that you will write International NGOs”.

Olabisi further alleged that the Adeleke-led government was indebted to local councils to the tune of ₦84 billion from allocations “fraudulently collected” in violation of a Supreme Court order granting local government autonomy.

However, Olabisi urged the international organizations to ignore the PDP’s ranting, advising the party to seek redress in court rather than “fraudulently crying” to the communities.

“The diplomatic community and the global rights groups are products of the rules of the laws and none of them would encourage anyone to disobey the judgement of the Court of Appeal that reinstated the state APC as the leadership of the ruling party and Governor Adeleke are doing in Osun State where they gerry pick the court order to obey

“If the PDP handlers are quite convinced that Alhaji Oyetola and Mr Fagbemi actually disobeyed court orders, they know what to do and they should stop deceiving themselves and beclouding the faces of their gullible members”, he added.