By Michael Ofulue, Osogbo

Four hundred and one chairmen and members of caretaker committees running Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas in Osun State have resigned from their positions.

Those who resigned include 69 caretaker chairmen and 332 caretaker members drawn from each of the 332 wards in the state.

Letters of resignation from the chairmen circulated on social media on Wednesday, but a clear reason behind their resignation was not given. In one of the letters, the caretaker chairman of Odo-Otin Local Government Area, Okuku, Adewale Adeyinka, said he was quitting office to pursue other opportunities to serve his people.

The letter addressed to Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, dated July 17, 2024, partly read: “It is with a sense of duty and respect for our democratic principles that I write to tender my resignation from my position as Chairman of the Caretaker Committee for Odo-Otin Local Government, effective immediately.

As I move on to pursue further opportunities to serve my people, I want to assure you that the good work we have started will not end. I remain committed to supporting the growth and development of Odo-Otin Local Government in any capacity I can.”

When contacted for comment on Wednesday, the immediate past chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria in Osun State, Sarafadeen Awotunde, said all the 69 caretaker chairmen and 332 members drawn from different wards across the state have resigned their positions since the Supreme Court declared them illegal office occupants.

“Asked to confirm the resignation of the 332 caretaker members and the chairmen, Awotunde said, “Since they were already termed caretakers, I don’t think there is any more appropriate word than ‘resigned’. Nobody sacked them. Caretakers have a temporary tenure. It means their time is over. If you look at it critically, you will see that the Supreme Court has given its verdict. So whatever is called a caretaker now is illegal. There is no longer any such thing as a caretaker in Nigeria.”

In Osun State, there are 30 local government areas, 32 local council development authorities, 6 area councils, and one administrative office.