The Osun State Government has once again urged the Federal Government to release local government allocations belonging to the state, a move seen as crucial to alleviating hardships in local communities.
This renewed call was made in a statement issued on Sunday by Kolapo Alimi, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment.
The appeal aligns with a recent Court of Appeal judgement on Osun State’s local government leadership dispute, which affirmed the legitimacy of the elected chairmen and councillors from the February 22, 2025 local government elections. The state government emphasised that these elected officials are, by law, the rightful leaders of the local governments.
Highlighting the ongoing financial hardship caused by the withholding of funds, the government expressed support for the intervention of traditional rulers and other key opinion leaders to secure the immediate release of the allocations. The statement stressed that the continued seizure is adversely affecting communities at the grassroots level.
“The elected chairmen and councillors produced in the local government elections of 22nd February 2025 are the official leadership of the local governments in Osun State,” the statement declared.
It further pointed out that the Presidency is fully aware of the facts, especially following the validation of the court judgement by the Court of Appeal on June 13, which removed the APC-elected chairmen and councillors.
The statement insisted there should be no further controversy after this judgement, which recognised the elected officials from the February elections. It clarified that there has been no judicial ruling preventing the release of the funds.
The Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy, which has yet to be implemented nationally, cannot be used to single out Osun State.
Furthermore, the government noted that even if the Supreme Court ruling were enforced, the local government accounts must still be opened under the control of the duly elected officials from the February 22, 2025 election, with proper authorised signatories in accordance with the State Assembly’s law and Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Allegations were also made that President Bola Tinubu only became aware of the fund seizure through a newspaper report during the Eid holidays. It was claimed that the Attorney-General of the Federation directed the Accountant General to withhold the allocations without the President’s approval.
The state government welcomed plans by the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers to meet with President Tinubu, describing the crisis as transcending politics and impacting the welfare of ordinary citizens. The statement accused those behind the withholding of funds of targeting Governor Ademola Adeleke, while insisting that the true victims are the people of Osun State.
The local government leadership issue has long been a flashpoint in Osun politics, intensifying ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial election. Both the Osun All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have used different Court of Appeal rulings to justify their respective claims to control local government administration.
Despite a local government election held on 22 February 2025, where PDP candidates won a landslide victory, Governor Adeleke directed the newly elected officials not to assume office, citing concerns over violence. This decision came after violent clashes on 17 February 2025, which resulted in several deaths, including prominent supporters across party lines such as Remi Abass in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area.
The paralysing situation led labour unions, including the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), to call on their members to stay away from work. Since then, local government secretariats remain non-functional.
Within Osun, PDP-elected officials are dubbed “seat at home” due to their inability to take office, while their APC counterparts from a controversial local government election on 22 October 2022 are labelled “Yes or No.”
Traditional rulers have been vocal about the crisis. Notably, the Ataoja of Osogbo land, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, during the recent Osogbo festival, appealed to the Federal Government to release the seized local government allocations. He emphasised the need for funds to enable local governments to resume operations and revitalise grassroots activities. The traditional ruler also expressed interest in meeting President Tinubu to discuss the matter.
As the impasse continues, the people of Osun State remain caught in the middle of a political struggle with significant implications for governance and development at the local level.
