Osun State Governor Senator Ademola Adeleke has called for the immediate release of over ₦130 billion in statutory allocations that he says have been unlawfully withheld from the state’s local governments since early 2025, warning that the continued blockage is undermining grassroots governance and worsening hardship for workers and residents.
Channels Television In a statewide broadcast on Monday, Adeleke addressed the ongoing crisis stemming from the illegal occupation of local government secretariats, which he says has prevented properly elected council officials from accessing their offices for nearly a year.
The crisis traces back to a prolonged dispute over local government leadership following the February 2025 council elections. Adeleke maintained that court judgments from the Federal High Court in Osogbo and the Court of Appeal—nullified the positions of previously serving council chairmen and councillors who were elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Don’t Miss This: Tinubu Approves Incentives for Shell’s $20bn Bonga South West Oil Project
Despite these rulings, Adeleke alleges that former APC chairmen and councillors have continued to occupy council secretariats, backed by police support, effectively blocking legitimate officials from assuming office.
He described the occupants as “impostors acting without lawful mandate.
The governor also said local government employees who tried to resume duty were harassed and intimidated by armed police officers and political thugs, further deepening the governance crisis at the grassroots.
Statutory Funds WithheldCentral to Adeleke’s address was the claim that statutory allocations due to Osun’s local governments amounting to approximately ₦130 billion have not been released to the councils’ legal accounts since February 2025.
According to the governor, these funds are critical for essential services including:Salaries for primary school teachers Nurses and health workers across 332 primary health centres Council workers and traditional council members Payments to retirees In the absence of access to the council funds, Adeleke said the state government has had to intervene financially, making painful sacrifices to keep these workers paid for nearly 12 months an arrangement he described as unsustainable.
Don’t Miss This: Tinubu Approves Incentives for Shell’s $20bn Bonga South West Oil Project
“Governance is about humanity, responsibility, and compassion,” Adeleke said, adding that the burden cannot continue indefinitely.
Accusations and Call for Federal Intervention Adeleke also accused the United Bank for Africa (UBA) of allowing unauthorised persons to operate local government accounts, a claim that has led to criminal prosecutions of senior bank officials, according to the governor.
Questioning whether such actions would be tolerated in global financial centres like New York or London, Adeleke appealed directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, calling on the federal government to ensure the release of the withheld funds and to protect democratic institutions.
He was quick to clarify, however, that he did not believe the President was personally involved in the withholding, urging support to “rescue Osun local governments from what he described as an unlawful siege.”
There is no provision in our Constitution for tenure elongation,” the governor stated, framing the dispute as a matter of constitutional order versus impunity.
Appeal to Nigerians In closing, Adeleke called on Nigerians and democracy advocates to demand an end to the occupation of local government secretariats and the release of the due funds.
He urged residents to remain peaceful and assured them of his administration’s commitment to upholding the Constitution and safeguarding public welfare.
Image Credit: channelstv
Source : Channelstv
