Civil Rights Group Accuses Adeleke of Defying Supreme Court, Demands State of Emergency in Osun

A coalition of civil rights organisations has accused the Osun State Government, under Governor Ademola Adeleke, of persistently disobeying court judgments, undermining constitutional order, and fostering insecurity, calling on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in the state.

The groups, speaking at a press conference in Abuja, said Osun State was facing a “deepening constitutional crisis” arising from what they described as the government’s deliberate refusal to comply with judgments of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal on the control of local governments.

Addressing journalists, the spokesperson of the Initiative for Local Government Development (ILGD), Comrade Adebayo Juliet Kanyinsola, said the continued disregard for binding court decisions had pushed the state to the brink of anarchy.

“The Supreme Court is the final court of the land, and its judgments are binding on all authorities without exception. What we are witnessing in Osun State is a brazen decision by the government to place itself above the Constitution,” Kanyinsola said.

According to the organisations, the courts had recognised APC-led chairmen and councillors as the lawful administrators of local governments in Osun State, but the state government had allegedly misinterpreted, ignored, and refused to give effect to those rulings.

“This is no longer a matter of political disagreement. It is a collapse of constitutional governance. Section 1(3) of the Constitution makes it clear that any action inconsistent with the Constitution is null and void,” Kanyinsola added.

The groups further accused the state government of misleading the public through what they called selective and false interpretations of court judgments, a situation they said had weakened public confidence in the judiciary and incited hostility against legally recognised local government officials.

“When citizens are deliberately confused about who their lawful leaders are, violence becomes inevitable. The breakdown of public order we are seeing today in Osun State is the direct result of this dangerous narrative,” the spokesperson said.

They linked the deteriorating security situation to the killing of the Chairman of Irewole Local Government, Hon. Remi Abass, who was murdered within the premises of the local government secretariat in Ikire.

“We must speak plainly. The refusal to obey the judgment of the Court of Appeal created the atmosphere that led to the murder of Hon. Remi Abass. This was not an accident; it was the tragic outcome of sustained lawlessness,” Kanyinsola said.

Describing the incident as a sign of democratic failure, the organisations warned that “a system where lawfully recognised officials are killed in their offices has descended into anarchy.”

The civil rights groups also condemned what they described as the encouragement of “impostors” and “parallel governance” through illegal local government elections, which they said had produced “sit-at-home chairmen” without constitutional backing.

“Promoting unauthorized individuals to assume control of constitutionally recognised local governments amounts to the institutionalisation of illegality and poses a direct threat to peace and national cohesion,” the groups stated.

On local government finances, the organisations alleged that the Osun State Government had supported illegal strike actions and stay-at-home protests by local government workers, aimed at blocking access to statutory allocations.

“For over a year, councils have been rendered ineffective, salaries and development projects jeopardised, and ordinary citizens denied essential services. This is nothing short of governance sabotage at the grassroots,” said Adeniyi Faith Ayomide, Secretary of ILGD.

Citing Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the groups argued that the conditions for declaring a state of emergency had been met.

“When governance can no longer be carried on in accordance with the Constitution and lives are being lost, the President has not just the power but the duty to act,” said Comrade Amusa Opeyemi, Secretary General of the Centre for Justice and Community Advocacy, Nigeria (CJCAN).

The organisations made three key demands: urgent intervention by the Senate to prevent further loss of lives; accelerated investigation and prosecution of all those involved in the killing of Hon. Remi Abass, including suspects still at large; and the declaration of a state of emergency in Osun State to restore constitutional order.

“A state of emergency in this context will not undermine democracy. It will save it by restoring the rule of law, enforcing court judgments, and protecting innocent lives,” Kanyinsola said.

The groups urged Nigerians to “stand firmly with the Constitution and the rule of law,” warning that allowing continued disobedience to court judgments in Osun State would set a dangerous precedent for the country.

Kanyinsola was joined by Adeniyi Faith Ayomide, Secretary for the Initiative for Local Government Development (ILGD) Comrade Amusa Opeyemi, Secretary General, Centre for Justice and Community Advocacy, Nigeria (CJCAN)