By John Dike, Osogbo
Council chairmen in Osun State have accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of being directly responsible for delays in the execution of developmental projects across the state’s local government areas.
The council chairmen, under the umbrella of The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, said the delays were caused by what they described as the governor’s frivolous and needless litigations, which have allegedly hindered full access to local government funds and stalled grassroots development.
In a statement signed and made available to journalists, the Osun ALGON Chairman, Hon. Samuel Idowu Abiodun, blamed the spate of litigations instituted by the state government for the slow pace of project execution at the local government level.
Abiodun dismissed claims by the state government that local government allocations were being withheld by the Federal Government, insisting that allocations are released regularly and paid promptly into the respective councils’ accounts.
According to him, the disbursement process aligns with constitutional provisions and the Supreme Court judgment affirming local government financial autonomy.
“The Federal Government has been faithful in releasing local government allocations as and when due. Funds are paid directly into the appropriate councils’ accounts. At no point has the Federal Government withheld allocations meant for Osun local governments,” Abiodun stated.
ALGON faulted the state government’s narrative, describing it as hypocritical and misleading. The association noted that despite the reinstatement of council chairmen and councillors by the Court of Appeal judgment of February 10, 2025, the Adeleke administration has continued to institute multiple legal actions that obstruct access to funds and delay the execution of approved projects.
The council chairmen also criticised Governor Adeleke’s demand that local government allocations be paid into a joint account, insisting that such a demand contradicts the Supreme Court ruling which affirmed the financial and administrative autonomy of local governments.
Reacting to the governor’s recent statewide broadcast in which Adeleke alleged that council allocations were being withheld and claimed that the tenure of the incumbent council officials had expired, Abiodun described the claims as baseless and politically motivated.
He explained that the council officials had approached the Federal High Court to seek constitutional clarification on their tenure, stressing that elected local government chairmen are constitutionally entitled to a three-year tenure.
Abiodun maintained that the tenure of the reinstated council chairmen and councillors commenced on February 10, 2025—the day the Court of Appeal ordered their reinstatement—adding that the judgment remains valid and binding, having not been appealed to the Supreme Court.
“Our reinstatement by the Court of Appeal stands. Until today, the respondents have failed to appeal the judgment. By implication, our tenure runs for three years from February 10, 2025, and expires in 2028,” he said.
He accused the state government of inconsistency, noting that the same administration which initially claimed that the council officials had no tenure was now alleging that their tenure ended in October 2025.
“If this is not hypocrisy of the highest order, then what is? How can the same government that said we had no tenure now be referring to an alleged termination date?” he queried.
Abiodun also warned the state government against dragging the former Governor of Osun State and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, into the local government crisis.
He stressed that local governments are independent entities capable of managing their affairs without interference, adding that the minister has no role in local government or chieftaincy matters in the state.
“The Honourable Minister is focused on repositioning Nigeria’s maritime sector and has no reason whatsoever to interfere in local government affairs in Osun State,”
He urged residents of the state to hold Governor Adeleke accountable for delays in grassroots development, insisting that the continued legal battles initiated by the state government remain the major obstacle to the execution of approved local government projects.
