The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alerted the Inspector-General of Police and other statutory security agencies to exercise caution over an alleged state government-sponsored protest planned by a coalition of civil society groups.
In a statement signed by the Director of Media and Information of the Osun State APC, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, the party claimed that information at its disposal suggested the Ademola Adeleke-led administration had engaged certain civil society organisations to stage coordinated demonstrations across local government areas in the state.
The alleged protests are reportedly linked to ongoing disputes over federal allocations intended for local councils.
While affirming its support for lawful protests as a fundamental feature of democracy, the APC cautioned that demonstrations allegedly commercialised or politically motivated should be closely monitored by security agencies.
“We are not against lawful protest, which is a recognised feature of democracy. However, when protest is commercialised and weaponised, it becomes a political tool aimed at targeting opposition,” the statement read.
The party further alleged that the state government has, since assuming office over three years ago, repeatedly sponsored strikes and protests within its own civil service. It cited the prolonged 11-month strike by a faction of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and recent industrial actions by the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) as examples of such alleged interventions.
According to the APC, the planned protest is scheduled for Monday, February 2, 2026, and is reportedly organised by commercialised civil society actors.
The party claimed that the leader of the proposed demonstration is an individual from the South-East and warned that the protest could be misconstrued by residents as linked to sit-at-home actions historically associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The APC also accused the state government of instituting court cases it described as disingenuous, allegedly aimed at pressuring the Federal Government and political opponents, while failing to comply with a Court of Appeal judgment delivered on February 10, 2025.
Describing the situation as unprecedented, the opposition party expressed concern over a government allegedly sponsoring strikes and protests within its own civil service for a significant portion of its tenure.
The APC called on the Osun State Commissioner of Police and other security chiefs to closely monitor the situation and identify the sponsors should the protest result in any disruption of law and order in the state.
