NB247
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, says the Federal Government should not think of declaring a state of emergency in Osun State in the face of its current political crisis.
“It was rumoured that some fellows are deceiving themselves to declare a state of emergency in Osun,” Sowunmi said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.
“For what and why? (Ex-President Goodluck) Jonathan did not declare a state of emergency when the Vice President (Kashim Shettima) was governor in Borno, even with all the shenanigans of Chibok and all of that.”
The All Progressives Congress’ National Secretary Ajibola Basiru had on Monday asked the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Osun over the local government crisis in the state.
However, Sowunmi said action would be an attempt to muzzle the opposition to make Nigeria a one-party state.
Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution interprets a state of emergency as a situation of national danger or disaster in which a government suspends normal constitutional procedures to regain control. A state of emergency allows the President to immediately make any desired regulations to secure public order and safety.
At least six persons have been confirmed dead since Monday, when APC and PDP members clashed in Osun State over the control of local government councils.
Before the clash, the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, raised the alarm on Sunday that APC members backed by security agencies wanted to hijack the council secretariats in the state.
The governor, who belongs to the PDP, had also asked President Bola Tinubu to caution one of his ministers, Gboyega Oyetola of the APC, over the impending clash.
Speaking further, Sowunmi said Tinubu should have acted and provided Osun with the necessary security when Governor Adeleke raised the alarm.
He said Adeleke cannot be bullied by the APC government at the centre, adding that the opposition won’t accept a situation where all opposition parties are silenced.
He said, “The governor was screaming that things were not looking normal. Please call Oyetola to order, but the next thing we see is brigandage.
“When he raised the alarm, everything humanely possible ought to have been given to him as the chief security officer of that state to prevent this kind of bloodbath.
“The president should have told them in clear language that I haven’t sent anybody on my behalf playing God about a tomorrow that they don’t know if it will come or it will not come and begin to play strong-arm politics.
“I don’t like people who say the country is going to be a one-party state because it can never be a one-party state.”