…Hon Comrade James Onifade Alerts the Osun State Police Command
As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu prepares to visit Osun State on Saturday, February 14, 2026, primarily to welcome defectors into the All Progressives Congress (APC), a troubling pattern is emerging from the opposition party.
Rather than using the occasion for genuine political engagement or party consolidation, elements within the Osun APC appear intent on manufacturing chaos.
The state’s government has exposed what it describes as a deliberate plan to stage protests, create mayhem, and exploit any resulting disorder to push for a declaration of a state of emergency.
This is not mere speculation; the warnings are clear and direct. Residents are being urged to stay home or avoid the Mandela Freedom Park area in Osogbo, the venue for the President’s event. The logic is straightforward: by orchestrating or provoking unrest during a high-profile federal visit, the APC hopes to paint the ruling administration under Governor Ademola Adeleke as incapable of maintaining law and order. The endgame? A manufactured justification for federal intervention that could upend the current PDP-led government ahead of the crucial 2026 governorship election.
What makes this strategy particularly insidious is its self-caused nature. If any protest or violence erupts, responsibility lies squarely with those plotting it not with ordinary citizens or the state government trying to ensure peace. No well-meaning resident of Osun wants trouble in their state. The people have endured enough political turbulence, from local government crises to conflicting court rulings and accusations of fund mismanagement.
They deserve stability, not engineered crises that serve narrow partisan interests.
The APC’s playbook here is transparent and desperate. Recent calls often from faceless civil society groups linked to former officials for a state of emergency over local government disputes already revealed a pattern of frustration.
When legitimate political channels fail to deliver power, the fallback becomes disruption and blackmail.
Staging a “self-sponsored” protest during the President’s visit fits perfectly into this tactic: create disorder, blame the governor, and cry for federal rescue. It’s a diversionary scheme doomed to fail because it lacks genuine public backing. The peace-loving people of Osun see through it.
This moment tests everyone’s commitment to democratic norms. President Tinubu’s visit should be about unity, welcoming new members, and addressing real issues not a backdrop for orchestrated violence. Security agencies must remain vigilant, but the greater duty falls on political actors to de-escalate rather than inflame.
The message to Osun residents is simple and urgent: steer clear of potential flashpoints like Freedom Park. Do not allow yourselves to be drawn into any engineered confrontation. Let cooler heads prevail. If the APC truly seeks progress, it should engage through dialogue and elections not through manufactured crises that risk lives and livelihoods.
Osun State has too much potential to be held hostage by such tactics. Peace must come first, and those plotting otherwise should be held fully accountable for whatever fallout ensues. The people of Osun are not pawns in this game they are the ones who ultimately decide the state’s future through calm, informed choices, not chaos.
E-signed: Hon Comrade James Onifade
Advocate for Good Governance and A Better Judicial System
