Welcome to today’s Osun State, where governance is now a live-action battleground, and political power is measured not by votes or policies but by the number of hired guns you can deploy.
Development Diaries reports that the crisis over the control of local government secretariats in Osun State has worsened as eight persons, including a local government chairman, were reportedly killed and scores injured as elected local government officials on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) resumed offices at the various council secretariats.
The latest episode of ‘Osun Political Wrestling Federation’ saw members of the APC march triumphantly into local government secretariats, court ruling in hand, ready to reclaim their thrones.
But wait. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had a Federal High Court ruling of its own, countering their claim. And because democracy is clearly best settled with bullets instead of dialogue, thugs reportedly loyal to both sides stormed the offices, turning local government secretariats into war zones.
And what are the leaders saying?
The APC claims they were simply resuming work, while the PDP insists they were defending their territory.
However, let’s be honest: is there a single local government secretariat in Osun State that is worth dying for? These are the same offices that barely provide potable water, struggle to maintain schools, and have not built a single functioning hospital in years.
Come to think of it, while the political elite send their foot soldiers to die in gunfights, the average Osun resident is left with nothing – except maybe the rising cost of food, the ever-declining state of roads, and a healthcare system so weak that even minor injuries from this political warzone could be a death sentence.
Dear people of Osun, this is not entertainment. This is not Big Brother Naija: Local Government Edition. This is our democracy being hijacked by people who see power as their personal inheritance, not as a responsibility to serve.
To the Osun State government and security agencies, how were armed thugs allowed to storm government buildings? Where was the police force when bullets were flying? Who is being held accountable for these deaths?
To the judiciary, can we please get a final, clear, and enforceable ruling on this matter? Because at this rate, the courts are no longer deciding cases. They are just giving each party enough legal ammunition to justify the next round of violence.
And to the people of Osun, stop letting politicians use you as pawns. Their children are not the ones being shot at. Their families are not the ones dying in these senseless battles. If they truly care about governance, let them debate policies, not exchange gunfire.
The next election is coming, and we must remember these moments.
Photo source: Nigerian Tribune
