The All Progressives Congress (APC), which staunchly backed ex-president Muhammadu Buhari’s self-appointment as the nation’s petroleum minister for eight years, has sued Governor Ademola Adeleke for appointing himself as the Osun state’s commissioner for works.

According to court filings obtained by Peoples Gazette, the party claims the appointment contravened sections 183 and portions of 192 of the nation’s Constitution.

The originating summons with reference number HOS/79/2023 was served on Mr Adeleke at the Osogbo Judicial Division of the High Court of Osun state on July 21 by APC’s team of lawyers led by Abdulrahman Okunade of Apex Solicitors.

The APC sought “A declaration that the appointment by the 1st Defendant of himself as the Commissioner for Works for Osun State as announced on the 19th day of July, 2023 by himself, is unconstitutional, invalid, null and void in view of Sections 183 and 192(2) and (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered).”

Other defendants served include Kola Adewusi, the state’s deputy governor, attorney-general and commissioner of justice and the Osun state’s House of Assembly.

The APC, opposing Mr Adewusi’s appointment as commissioner for sports and special needs, prayed the court to deem the second appointment “unconstitutional, null and void” because he is already serving as deputy governor.

It is, however, ironic that the same APC seeking an order to bar the governor and his deputy from serving as commissioners threw their full weight behind Mr Buhari, the immediate past president, when he appointed himself as the nation’s petroleum minister throughout the duration of his eight-year tenure between 2015 and 2023.

This is not the first time that elected officials have held dual roles as the trend began with Olusegun Obasanjo, who appointed himself as the nation’s minister of petroleum for six of the eight years of his presidency, between 1999 and 2007.

Mr Buhari, upon becoming president in 2015 after three failed attempts, toed the same path and appointed himself the petroleum minister and Ibe Kachikwu as the minister of state for petroleum and later Timipre Sylva in his second term without any objection from his party members.

Bola Tinubu, winner of the contentious February 2023 presidential polls, may likely follow in the footsteps of his predecessors when he eventually releases the list of ministers in his administration.

The outcome of the matter may prevent Mr Tinubu from serving in a ministerial capacity should the court rule in favour of the APC and illegalise elected officials from having double appointments.

Olawale Rasheed, media aide to the governor, did not immediately respond to requests seeking comments on the matter.