The Osun State Government has rejected claims by a self-styled group, The Osun Masterminds, regarding the recent crisis that erupted over the forceful takeover of local government secretariats by opposition politicians.
The government described the group’s position as “a brutal attack on the truth” and an attempt at historical revisionism that distorts the reality of the violent attacks suffered by residents at the hands of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the state government accused The Osun Masterminds of misrepresenting events and attempting to mislead the public.
He maintained that the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) conducted the February 22, 2025, local government elections in compliance with all relevant laws.
“Ordinarily, we would have ignored the positions of Masterminds given the character of its membership and political persuasions, but we find it necessary to clarify some false assumptions made by the group in its statement,” Alimi said.
He dismissed claims regarding the status of the local government officials elected on October 15, 2022, under former Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s administration, stressing that a valid court ruling had already nullified their election.
“To start with, there were no ambiguities in the status of the YES or NO officials produced by the October 15, 2022, election because a valid judgment in a suit filed by the Action Peoples Party (APP) nullified their election,” he stated.
He also faulted the group’s interpretation of the February 10, 2025, Appeal Court ruling, saying, “Even the February 10, 2025, judgment of the Appeal Court that the Masterminds apparently tried to sell in its narrative did not at any point order the reinstatement of the sacked officials.”
Alimi further accused the group of siding with the APC in an attempt to discredit the February 22, 2025, local government election, which he described as lawful and properly conducted.
“Contrary to the Masterminds’ perverse reasoning on the local government elections, we make bold to say that the election complied with every laid-down rule and law of elections in the country”.
“It is sickening that the Masterminds would critique an election that was held within 365 days of notice as required by the Electoral Act, 2022, while defending an election conducted within 60 days of issuing notice, violating Sections 28 and 150 of the Electoral Act, 2022, and the OSSIEC 2022 laws,” he said.
The commissioner accused the group of making baseless claims despite not being election observers or participants in the process.
To make matters worse, the group, which was neither an observer nor participated in the local government election of February 22, 2025, came up with a ludicrous opinion on the election without providing any proof to support such.
“It is clear that the Masterminds is playing the APC script to discredit the election, but the truth is, they have failed, as the election was not only held in line with the laws but also conformed with a court order,” he added.
Alimi reiterated Governor Ademola Adeleke’s efforts to prevent the crisis, noting that the governor had raised alarms before violence broke out.
“Everyone can ascertain the effort of Governor Adeleke to avert the crisis, calling the attention of the world to the unfolding situations. When his plea fell on deaf ears, he called on members of the PDP to avert further bloodshed,” he said.
He also accused the group of bias, pointing out that it only mentioned an APC member, Remi Abass, who was killed during the crisis, while ignoring the PDP members who also lost their lives.
“To show the extent of Masterminds’ partisanship, it could remember the name of Remi Abass, a member of the APC killed in the crisis, but totally avoided mentioning PDP members—Damilare Olumide and Oyebamiji Taiwo from Boripe LG, Abdullahi Olawale Ayanfe from Ola-Oluwa LG, Bakare Toheed from Ikire LG, and Hon. Kasali Adebayo and Mr. Ismaila Ibrahim from Ilesa West—who were killed by thugs suspected to belong to the APC,” he stated.
The commissioner concluded by warning against deliberate misinformation, saying, “While we recognize the rights of every citizen to hold political beliefs, we, however, reject the antics of groups like the Masterminds, who seek to manipulate the public for political purposes.”
“The recent crisis in Osun was needless but an attempt by desperate politicians to foist themselves on the people. Partisan groups like the Masterminds cannot twist this fact from the public,” he added.
