Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, has demanded the rapid launch of over ₦130 billion in statutory allocations withheld from the state’s native authorities space councils, warning that the motion was crippling grassroots governance and inflicting extreme hardship on staff and residents throughout the state.
In accordance with an announcement signed by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, the governor made the demand on Monday in a statewide broadcast addressing what he described because the unlawful occupation of native authorities secretariats and the pressing have to defend democratic order within the state.
Adeleke stated court-sacked All Progressives Congress elected chairmen and councillors have continued to unlawfully occupy council secretariats throughout Osun State for nearly one yr, regardless of clear judgements of the Federal Excessive Court docket sitting in Osogbo in November 2022 and subsequent affirmations by the Court docket of Attraction in February and June 2025, which nullified their elections.
“The court docket eliminated them, not my administration,” Adeleke stated, stressing that his authorities merely complied with subsisting court docket orders.
In accordance with the governor, contemporary native authorities elections had been carried out in step with court docket judgements, culminating within the swearing-in of duly elected chairpersons and councillors on February 23, 2025.
He described these presently occupying the council secretariats as “imposters” who haven’t any lawful mandate to behave on behalf of the folks.
Adeleke accused the immediate-past governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola, of allegedly backing the continued occupation of the council secretariats with the assist of the Nigeria Police Power, an motion he stated posed a grave threat to democracy and the rule of legislation.
He additional alleged that native authorities staff who tried to renew responsibility on the secretariats had been harassed and intimidated by armed law enforcement officials and political thugs, creating an environment of worry and lawlessness on the grassroots stage.
Central to the governor’s handle was the problem of withheld native authorities funds. Adeleke disclosed that since February 2025, statutory allocations because of Osun native governments—now amounting to about ₦130 billion—haven’t been launched to the authentic council accounts.
He stated the funds had been essential to the fee of salaries and entitlements of major college lecturers, nurses, well being staff within the state’s 332 major healthcare centres, council staff, conventional councils, and retirees.
In accordance with the governor, the state authorities has been pressured to make “painful sacrifices” and supply funds outdoors statutory allocations to maintain salaries paid for practically 12 months, a scenario he warned can’t be sustained.
“Governance is about humanity, duty, and compassion, however this burden can not proceed indefinitely,” Adeleke stated.
The governor additionally accused the United {Bank} for Africa of allegedly permitting unauthorised people to function native authorities accounts, describing the motion as a critical breach {of financial} and authorized requirements.
He revealed that senior {bank} officers concerned within the alleged infractions are already dealing with legal prosecution.
Adeleke questioned whether or not such practices can be tolerated in international {financial} centres the place the {bank} operates. “Would this be allowed in New York or London?” he requested.
Calling for pressing federal intervention, the governor appealed on to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make sure the rapid launch of the withheld funds and to guard democratic establishments in Osun State.
He maintained that the President was not concerned within the alleged illegality and urged him to intervene decisively to rescue the Osun native governments from what he described as an illegal siege.
“There isn’t any provision in our Structure for tenure elongation,” Adeleke stated, framing the disaster as a transparent alternative between constitutional order and “bare impunity.”
He additionally referred to as on Nigerians, civil society {groups}, and democracy advocates to demand an instantaneous finish to the occupation of native authorities secretariats and the discharge of council funds.
The governor urged residents of the state to stay peaceable and law-abiding, assuring them of his administration’s unwavering dedication to upholding the Structure and safeguarding the welfare of the folks.
Reacting, APC chairmen presently occupying the councils, justified their keep on the secretariats.
Samuel Abiodun Idowu, Osun ALGON chairman, expressed shock that Governor Adeleke requested that they vacate the councils.
“The Governor and all his cohort have been saying all of it alongside, have been saying it that, uh, there’s no tenure for us, that we don’t have tenure in any respect, in any respect. Why is he now referring to tenure termination now? Which tenure is he now referring to? That’s too humorous to take heed to.
So so far as we’re involved, we gained the judgment of the Attraction Court docket of tenth of February 2025 and upon that, we rely. Upon that, we’re within the native authorities up until now.
We’ve got gone to court docket to find out for us when our tenure will elapse. It’s then that we are going to know whether or not we nonetheless have tenure or not. So, the court docket is for anyone who’s aggrieved.
We’re aggrieved that we gained the election and Governor Adeleke didn’t enable us to utilise our tenure.
He used government order to ship everyone packing.
Now that we bought the judgment of attraction court docket Akure dated February 10, it’s our personal candid opinion that our tenure needs to be decided by a correct legislation court docket. That’s the place we stand.
The matter earlier than the excessive court docket is developing on the third of February.”
He clarified that “Oyetola just isn’t concerned. We’ve got autonomy within the native authorities, we’re bored with this authorities, if Adeleke has every other problem with Oyetola, let him go and face him.”