From Richard Akintade, Osogbo
Osun State chapter of Accord has lampooned the All Progressives Congress ,APC, for the unconscionable justification of the unlawful hijacking of local governments in the state, noting that Osun people are well aware of the dangerous antics of the APC and will definitely punish it at the poll.
In a press statement issued and made available to newsmen yesterday by the Accord Chairman, Osun State Chapter, Pastor Victor Akande, “It is a public knowledge that the Osun APC’s claim to the Council is not rooted in any legal basis but the deliberate manipulation of federal institutions and criminal collusion with the United Bank of Africa ,UBA, to deny the people the benefit of public fund.
Contrary to the farce of reinstatement, the Court of Appeal in two decisions given on January 13 and June 13, 2025 effectively sealed the fate of the YES or NO officials, and whatever the APC maybe doing is unlawful, which the law will definitely catch up with them at a point in time.
We emphasised that any access of local governments fund by the court-sacked APC officials is a theft of public fund and already, legal steps has already commenced in the court to bring the compromised UBA officials who aided the stealing of public fund to account.
“The attempt by the APC to deflate attentions from its illegality and crude abuse of public fund is watery and unreasonable. Badly graded roads and motorcycles, which we see as a bribe to security agencies, most especially the Nigerian Police, for aiding its illegality, is an embarrassing insult to the intelligence of Osun people.
Contrary to the impression that the Osun APC try to sell, we have it on good authority that the so-called grant presided over by the YES or NO officials is actually not LG funds, but RENEWED HOPE, which is a special fund set aside from the federation account for the purpose of every Nigerians and not a political tool. This clearly implies that the APC has a lot of explanations to make on how it used the over N300 billion that accrued to the local governments since the illegal hijack of the money”.
The refusal to pay primary school teachers, healthcare workers, local governments workers and others their due entitlement from the hijacked fund is a brazen assault of the rights of workers to earn living and further highlights the Osun APC’s anti-workers tendency. If the Osun APC excuse is that documents are kept away from it, where did it get the document it is using to divert public funds to private pockets and bribing security agents for the purpose of election.
By law, public funds spent outside appropriation is a breach of the law, especially given the provisions of Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). Therefore, we maintain that every kobo of public fund so far accessed by the Osun APC is unlawful, and lawful means to recover what belong to the people but was misappropriated is already in play.
Osun people, most especially local workers and those at the grassroot, who the APC is oppressing for no reason other than political, will punish them severely with their votes on August 15, 2026. While Osun APC may think it can break the resolve of the people through economic strangulation. We want to assure them that they have failed as the people are more than determined to stick with a government that has delivered for them”, the statement concluded.
