Osogbo: Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has expressed his commitment to restoring the full functionality of local government areas in the state, following a period of political turmoil triggered by a recent court judgment.
Adeleke said this during a welcome-back rally organised for him by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday in Osogbo.
The local government areas in the state had been in crisis following the Feb.10 judgment by the Court of Appeal, Akure.
The PDP claimed that the judgment did not reinstate the sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen and councillors elected in 2022, while APC insisted on their return to office.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) subsequently directed local government workers to withdraw their services, citiFebruary 17.
The governor, however, said he would not allow anyone to hold the state back from the path of development.
“I am back to continue the good work after a short vacation.
“From 2022 to date, we have moved Osun from pity to confidence, poverty to prosperity, and hopelessness to hope.
“We will get our local governments back and running. They want to hold Osun down, but we will not allow them.
“We will continue with our transformative agenda in the state”, he said.
Adeleke also urged the electorate to participate actively in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) to enable them to exercise their voting rights in the 2026 Osun governorship election.
“Start mobilisation again. Get your voter card updated. Mobilise your people for the exercise.
“Talk to your neighbours, families, and friends. Show them our good work across sectors. Osun shall never go back to the past. We are lighting the way,” he said.
The governor, who enumerated some of his achievements in the state, said he had put smiles on the faces of pensioners, restored hope and faith among workers, and provided water in remote areas, among others.
In his remarks, the PDP chairman in the state, Sunday Bisi, said the party was prepared to win the Aug. 8 governorship election in the state.
Bisi said the governor had been delivering dividends of democracy since assuming office, adding that the good work would speak for itself.