Osun APC Accuses Governor Adeleke of Misrepresentation

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has disputed claims made by Governor Ademola Adeleke regarding local government administration and federal allocations in the state. According to the party’s chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, the governor’s recent statewide broadcast presented a distorted narrative of the legal status of local government councils and their officials.

Lawal stated that the governor wrongly described APC chairmen and councillors as illegal occupants of council secretariats, insisting that their return followed valid court decisions. He cited a judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on February 10, 2025, which nullified the process through which the officials were earlier removed. The ruling, Lawal said, remains binding and has not been overturned.

The APC chairman also addressed allegations of tenure elongation, explaining that issues before the Federal High Court concerned interpretation of tenure provisions, not an attempt to extend time in office. He argued that seeking judicial clarity cannot be equated with tenure extension.

Regarding local government allocations, Lawal dismissed claims that the Federal Government was withholding funds meant for Osun councils. Instead, he attributed delays to ongoing litigations initiated by the state government and its allies. Lawal cited a recent Supreme Court judgment affirming local government autonomy, which held that councils are independent entities capable of managing their affairs, including litigation over funds.

The APC chairman criticized repeated attacks on former governor Gboyega Oyetola, now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, saying responsibility for current challenges lay with the present administration. He called on Governor Adeleke to withdraw all pending suits relating to council funds and allow allocations to reach the grassroots.

The dispute over local government administration and federal allocations in Osun State has been ongoing, with the governor demanding the release of over 130 billion in statutory allocations allegedly withheld from the state’s local governments. The governor has warned that the continued blockade is crippling grassroots governance and inflicting hardship on workers and residents.

The situation has also led to a public war of words between two rival chairmen of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Osun State, with each issuing opposing statements over the control, tenure, and funding of local councils. The APC has challenged the claims made by Governor Adeleke, insisting that the narrative surrounding local government administration and federal allocations is inaccurate.