The Osun State Government has directed the Nigeria Police Force to reject proposed vehicle donations from local government chairmen aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC), calling the gesture a "poisoned gift with malicious, mischievous, and harmful intentions." The government, in a statement signed by Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment Kolapo Alimi, argued that the APC-backed chairmen currently administering councils lack legal legitimacy, as their tenure is under judicial review. The dispute stems from two sets of local government elections: one held on October 15, 2022, under former governor Adegboyega Oyetola, and another on February 22, 2025, under current governor Ademola Adeleke. The APC's state spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, had earlier announced the donation plan, insisting that security support should transcend politics. The Osun government maintained that accepting the vehicles would compromise police neutrality, especially with court judgments on the chairmen's legitimacy scheduled for May 12 and May 21, 2026. It urged Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to instruct the Osun State Command to decline the donation pending the legal outcome.
Governor Ademola Adeleke's administration is framing the APC's vehicle donation as a political trap, not a security boost—turning a goodwill gesture into a test of institutional loyalty. By labeling the offer a "poisoned gift," the state government is attempting to delegitimise APC-backed chairmen before the courts do. This move risks deepening the perception that local government authority in Osun is being contested not just in courtrooms, but through public narrative warfare. For Nigerians, it underscores how quickly civic cooperation can be recast as political sabotage when power is in legal flux.
