Dare Babalola
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, is calling for the immediate release of over ₦130 billion in statutory allocations allegedly withheld from the state’s local governments, warning that the ongoing blockade is severely impacting grassroots governance and causing hardship for workers and residents.
The governor’s spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, quoted Adeleke to have said that in a statewide broadcast on Monday.
Addressing the illegal occupation of local government secretariats and defence of democratic order, Adeleke stated that court-sacked APC chairmen and councillors had unlawfully held onto council offices for almost a year, despite Federal High Court judgments in November 2022 and subsequent affirmations by the Court of Appeal in February and June 2025 nullifying their elections.
“The court removed them, not my administration,” the governor said, stressing 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 secretariats as imposters acting without any lawful mandate.
Furthermore, Adeleke accused the former governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, of allegedly backing the continued occupation with police support, an action he said undermines democracy and the rule of law.
He also alleged that local government workers trying to resume duty were harassed and intimidated by armed police officers and political thugs.
Adeleke revealed that statutory allocations due to Osun local governments, now totalling about ₦130 billion, have been held back since February 2025, and haven’t been released to the councils’ legal accounts.
He said the funds are critical for the payment of salaries of primary school teachers, nurses, health workers in 332 primary health care centres, council workers, traditional councils, and retirees.
According to him, the state government has had to look for funds and make painful sacrifices to keep salaries paid for almost 12 months, a situation he described as unsustainable.
“Governance is about humanity, responsibility, and compassion, but this burden cannot continue indefinitely,” he said.
The governor also accused UBA of letting unauthorised persons operate local government accounts, saying senior bank officials involved are already facing prosecution.
He asked if such actions would fly in places like New York or London, where the bank also operates.
Calling for federal intervention, Adeleke appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure the release of the withheld funds and to protect democratic institutions.
He insisted that the President was not involved in the alleged illegality and urged him to rescue Osun local governments from what he described as an unlawful siege.
“There is no provision in our Constitution for tenure elongation,” Adeleke said, framing the crisis as a choice between constitutional order and naked impunity.
He called on Nigerians and democracy advocates to demand an immediate end to the occupation of local government secretariats and the release of council funds.
The governor urged residents to remain peaceful and law-abiding, assuring them of his administration’s commitment to upholding the Constitution and safeguarding their welfare.
