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The Osun State Government has taken a bold step in defense of grassroots governance, filing a fresh suit at the Supreme Court against the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), over the alleged unlawful seizure of statutory allocations due to its 30 local government councils since March 2025.
Governor Ademola Adeleke, who has consistently championed transparency and accountability in governance, maintained that the Federal Government’s action was not only unconstitutional but also a direct assault on the democratic will of the people of Osun State.
In the originating summons filed on Monday, the state, through its Attorney-General, supported by a legal team led by Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), is urging the apex court to order the immediate release of all withheld funds and restrain the AGF from any future arbitrary seizure of local government revenues.
Citing subsisting judgments of both the Federal High Court, Osogbo (November 30, 2022), and the Court of Appeal (June 13, 2025), which affirmed the legitimacy of council chairmen and councillors elected on February 22, 2025, Osun contended that the AGF acted in defiance of valid court pronouncements.
“The seizure, suspension, withholding and/or refusal to pay the allocations and revenues due to the constituent local government councils of the plaintiff state… is unconstitutional, unlawful, wrongful and ultra vires the powers of the defendant,” the state’s filing read in part.
The Adeleke-led administration further argued that the March 26, 2025 directive by the AGF to freeze council funds, under the guise of a so-called “local government crisis,” cannot stand against the weight of judicial authority which had already nullified the controversial October 2022 council polls conducted under the previous administration.
In a supporting affidavit, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Olufemi Akande Ogundun, described the Federal Government’s action as “an affront to the rule of law and constitutionalism.” He warned that failure to resolve the matter conclusively could set a dangerous precedent for the autonomy of local governments nationwide.
Osun is seeking five major declarations, including that the AGF lacks constitutional power to seize local government allocations, and that all funds illegally withheld must be paid directly into the accounts of duly elected councils.
Governor Adeleke, who has repeatedly assured residents of his commitment to strengthening local governance, described the move as part of his administration’s determination to “defend the constitutional rights of Osun people and protect democratic institutions at the grassroots.”
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