Osun State Governor, Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke, has demanded the immediate release of over N130 billion in statutory allocations allegedly withheld from the state’s local governments.
Adeleke noted that the continued withholding of the funds is crippling grassroots governance and inflicting hardship on workers and residents.
Recall that the local governments in the state have been embroiled in a crisis over their control between chairmen elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the reinstated All Progressives Congress (APC) council chairmen since February 2025, a situation that has culminated in several court cases.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor was quoted as demanding the immediate release of the N130 billion council allocation during a statewide broadcast.
Adeleke described as illegal the occupation of local government secretariats by APC chairmen for nearly a year, despite judgments of the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo in November 2022 and affirmations by the Court of Appeal in February and June 2025, which nullified their elections.
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“The court removed them, not my administration,” the governor argued, adding that “fresh local government elections were conducted in compliance with subsisting court orders, leading to the swearing-in of duly elected chairmen and councillors on February 23, 2025.”
He described the current occupants of the council secretariats as impostors acting without any lawful mandate.
Adeleke also accused the immediate past governor of Osun State and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of allegedly backing the continued occupation of the councils with police support, an action he said undermines democracy and the rule of law.
The governor alleged that local government workers who attempted to resume duty were harassed and intimidated by armed police officers and political thugs, insisting that the withheld funds are critical for the payment of salaries of primary school teachers, nurses, health workers in 332 primary healthcare centres, council workers, traditional councils and retirees.
The statement read: “The state government has had to look for funds and make painful sacrifices to keep salaries paid for almost 12 months,” adding that the situation remains unsustainable.
“Governance is about humanity, responsibility, and compassion, but this burden cannot continue indefinitely,” Adeleke stated.
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While also accusing the United Bank for Africa (UBA) of allegedly allowing unauthorised persons to operate local government accounts, the governor hinted that bank officials involved were facing criminal prosecution.
He questioned whether such actions would be tolerated in jurisdictions like New York or London, where the bank operates.
He called for federal intervention and appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure the release of the withheld funds and protect democratic institutions.
Adeleke, who insisted that Tinubu was not involved in the alleged illegality, urged the president to rescue Osun local governments from what he described as an unlawful siege, noting that “there is no provision in our Constitution for tenure elongation.”