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The Osun State Government has renewed its appeal to the Federal Government for the immediate release of local government allocations, citing the recent Court of Appeal judgment that affirmed the legitimacy of the state’s duly elected council leadership.
In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the state maintained that there is “no legal or political basis” for the continued withholding of the funds, which it described as a deliberate infliction of hardship on grassroots communities.
Alimi noted that the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke remains committed to defending the rights of the people at the grassroots.
He stressed that the elected chairmen and councillors produced by the February 22, 2025 local government elections remain the only constitutionally recognised leaders of the councils in Osun State.
“The recent Court of Appeal judgment of June 13 has validated the sack of the so-called APC Yes/No election chairmen and councillors. The position of the law today is clear — our February 22, 2025 elected officials are the lawful custodians of local government authority in Osun,” the statement read.
The government further clarified that there is no judicial pronouncement halting the release of the allocations, adding that even if the Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy were to be applied, the funds must still be paid into accounts operated by the accredited, duly elected council officials in accordance with Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution and the laws of the Osun State House of Assembly.
Alimi alleged that the funds’ seizure was masterminded by political actors bent on targeting Governor Adeleke, but insisted that “the real victims are the people of Osun State who are well at home with good governance delivery across the state.”
The statement revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu only became aware of the development through a newspaper headline during the recent Eid celebrations, suggesting that the Attorney-General of the Federation may have ordered the withholding without the President’s prior approval.
The government, while appealing to the President to order the immediate release of the funds, welcomed the intervention of the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers and other leaders of thought, describing the monarchs’ planned audience with the President as “a welcome development beyond partisan politics.”
“The local government crisis is beyond politics; it concerns a tier of government that directly impacts the lives of our people. Those behind this anti-people move should retrace their steps and allow the will of the people and the rule of law to prevail,” Alimi stated.
The Adeleke administration maintained that its focus remains on sustaining grassroots development and urged all stakeholders to close ranks in defence of the constitutional rights of Osun people.
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