The much-anticipated local government election in Osun State has deepened political tension and raised concerns over the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy.

Rather than ushering in self-governance at the grassroots level, the election has triggered a violent power struggle between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). Clashes, conflicting court rulings, and a contested outcome have left the state in turmoil, reinforcing growing calls for a federal electoral body to oversee local government polls nationwide.

For weeks, tension has been building between the PDP and APC over the control of the local government areas in Osun. The situation reached a boiling point on February 17 when at least six people were killed and many others injured in violent clashes just days before the February 22 election.

The unrest was sparked by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission?s (OSIEC) decision to proceed with the local government election despite warnings from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, advising Governor Ademola Adeleke to halt the process.

The crisis, however, traces back to October 16, 2022 when former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola conducted local government election shortly after losing the governorship race. While the PDP boycotted the election, allowing APC candidates to sweep all seats unopposed, on November 25, 2022, a Federal High Court in Osogbo nullified the election, leading to the removal of APC-elected chairmen and councillors. The PDP-led government then appointed caretaker committees for the councils.

The legal battle over the control of the local government councils took another turn when the Court of Appeal in Akure overturned the Federal High Court ruling on February 10, reinstating the APC chairmen and councillors. However, the Osun State Government argued that another ruling by the Federal High Court in Osogbo, in a case filed by the Action People?s Party (APP), had removed the APC officials and remained unchallenged. Since the APC did not appeal the APP case, the state government insisted that the Federal High Court ruling was binding on all parties.

Governor Adeleke, backed by the Attorney-General of the State, Jimi Bada and the Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, maintained that the appellate court ruling did not explicitly order the reinstatement of the APC officials. As a result, the state government refused to allow them to return to office, prompting the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to direct local government workers to stay away from their offices for safety reasons.

Despite government?s stance, the reinstated APC chairmen and councillors forcefully returned to their council secretariats, leading to violent confrontations with PDP members. In Irewole Local Government, Ikire, the APC chairman, Remi Abass and five others lost their lives in the clashes. Many others sustained severe injuries as the struggle for council control turned deadly.

Following the clash, the PDP accused the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, of working with the APC to destabilise the state. The PDP chairman, Sunday Bisi alleged that the IGP deployed Special Forces to aid APC members in forcefully reclaiming local government councils.

?This is a blatant coup and an attempt to assassinate Governor Adeleke,? Bisi declared.

The IGP, however, dismissed the accusation, stating that police reinforcements were merely to maintain law and order.

Adding to the tension, the Osun State Government called for the arrest of former Governor Oyetola over an allegation of financial mismanagement, accusing him and other APC leaders of corruption.

Despite the AGF?s advice and the ongoing crisis, the OSIEC proceeded with the local government election on February 22. However, the APC withdrew from the election, arguing that the Court of Appeal ruling had reinstated its chairmen and councillors, rendering the election unnecessary.

Although the election was largely peaceful, turnout of voters was alarmingly low. Many polling units had no electoral officers present, and in some areas, security personnel outnumbered voters.

Governor Adeleke, who cast his vote in Ede North Local Government Area, however, praised the election as a milestone for grassroots democracy.

?Our people yearn to elect their leaders. The OSIEC has done a marvellous job, and the process has been seamless,? he said.

As expected, the PDP won by a landslide. The chairman of the OSIEC, Hashim Abioye, declared PDP candidates victorious in all the 30 chairmanship seats and 332 councillorship positions.

A few hours after the election, Governor Adeleke swore in the newly elected PDP chairmen and councillors at the Government House in Osogbo. However, in a cautious move, he instructed them to avoid their respective secretariats to prevent clashes with APC officials.

?We will rely on the judiciary to peacefully remove those illegally occupying the local government secretariats. Please be patient and abide by the rule of law,? Adeleke urged.

Beyond judicial means, the governor has embarked on consultation with political leaders, starting with a former governor of the state and APC leader, Chief Bisi Akande. The visit has sparked another round of war of words between the PDP and APC.

Like other states, Katsina poll reinforces calls for a federal electoral body

In a similar development, the ruling APC in Katsina State secured all the 34 chairmanship seats and 361 councillorship positions in its local government election conducted a week before that of Osun. Five political parties participated: Accord Party (AP), African Action Congress (AAC), African Development Congress (ADC), APC, and Booth Party (BP).

However, major opposition parties, including the PDP and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), boycotted the election, citing exorbitant nomination form fees and lack of confidence in the electoral body?s ability to conduct a free and fair election.

While the election witnessed a relatively large turnout in some units, the chairman of the major opposition PDP, Nura Amadi Kurfi, said it was as dull as a soup without salt.

Announcing the results on February 16, the chairman of the Katsina State Independent Electoral Commission (KTSIEC), Lawal Faskari, declared the APC the winner with a significant margin in all the 34 local government areas. The collation of results took longer than expected as some local governments failed to submit results on time.

Governor Dikko Umaru Radda dismissed the opposition?s claims, stating that they avoided the election due to lack of credible campaign promises.

?This is also the first time in the history of Katsina State that a democratically elected council chairman will hand over to another elected chairman. Democracy has come of age in the state,? he added.

Growing calls for a federal electoral body

Local government elections in Nigeria have often been criticised as rubber-stamp exercises, where ruling parties dominate. While rare cases of opposition victories exist, most local government polls follow a winner-takes-all pattern.

The Osun and Katsina elections, like others before, and after the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy, have seen ruling parties secure sweeping victories. These outcomes have reinforced calls for a federal electoral body to conduct local government polls rather than state-controlled commissions, which are frequently accused of bias.

In response, many stakeholders have advocated constitutional amendments to empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct local government elections nationwide. The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has been vocal in this regard, with its national chairman, Alhaji Yusuf Mamman Dantalle emphasising the need for such reforms to ensure credible elections at the local level. Similarly, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has called for immediate amendments to the electoral act to facilitate INEC?s involvement in local government polls, highlighting the challenges posed by state electoral bodies.

On its part, INEC has expressed readiness to conduct local government elections if constitutional amendments permit. The INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, noted that while the commission currently oversees local government elections in the Federal Capital Territory, extending this mandate nationwide would require legal reforms. He affirmed that INEC has the necessary resources and experience to manage local government elections across all the 774 local government areas across the country should the constitution be amended accordingly.

The National Assembly has also indicated that it is considering an amendment to the 1999 Constitution to transfer the conduct of local government elections from state electoral bodies to the INEC.

Observers believe that until such reforms are enacted, local government elections would remain tools for political control rather than genuine exercises in grassroots democracy; and true local government autonomy may remain elusive. (Weekend Trust)

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