By Mercy Gadia Adi
The Osun State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly condemned the actions of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, accusing him of abuse of office and high-handedness.
In a statement released on Monday, the party’s Media Director, Oladele Bamiji, expressed concern over Fagbemi’s alleged partisan overreach, particularly in relation to the governance of Osun State.
“We take great exception to what appears to be a deliberate, politically motivated interference in the governance of Osun State, particularly the unwarranted obstruction of statutory financial allocations to our local government councils,” Bamiji stated.
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The PDP accused Fagbemi of usurping judicial powers not vested in him by law, citing the doctrine of separation of powers. “Delegatus non potest delegare,” which means a delegate cannot delegate, was cited as a principle Fagbemi has allegedly breached.
Bamiji noted that Fagbemi’s actions seem to be motivated by personal interests, given his previous role as lead counsel to Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, a principal actor in Osun APC. “Mr Fagbemi, having previously served as lead counsel to Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, a principal actor in Osun APC, ought to recuse himself from any matter directly or indirectly affecting the political ecosystem of the State,” he said.
The PDP also criticized Fagbemi’s directive halting the disbursement of funds to democratically elected local governments in Osun State, describing it as a clear affront to constitutionalism and the principles of fair hearing. “No court has issued any pronouncement to warrant such fiscal strangulation,” Bamiji stated.
The party further accused Fagbemi of attempting to undermine good governance in Osun State, citing his extra-legal advisory to the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) warning against conducting local government elections. “This reckless act emboldened certain elements within the opposition APC to foment disorder, nearly plunging the state into chaos and resulting in loss of lives and property,” Bamiji said.
The PDP called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rein in Fagbemi and remind him that no one is above the law.
“The President as father of the nation and a renowned democrat, with incontrovertible democratic credentials, should not allow Mr Fagbemi to infuse undeserved dark spot of authoritarian tendencies on the government,” Bamiji urged.
The party emphasized that the people of Osun have freely given their mandate to Governor Ademola Adeleke and to their duly elected local government officials, and that mandate must not be subverted by any individual, no matter how highly placed. “Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done,” Bamiji concluded.