Marine and Blue Economy Minister, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola
By John Dike, Osogbo
Marine and Blue Economy Minister, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, has debunked allegations linking him to the ongoing local government crisis in Osun State, declaring that his “hands are clean” and accusing the state government of pushing false narratives to cover its own failures.
His responded through his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Bolaji Akinola, who dismissed claims by the state’s House of Assembly as fabricated, malicious and legally baseless.
In his reaction to a statement by the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Adewale Egbedun, on Sunday, February 1, 2026, Akinola said attempts to associate the former governor with the administration or disbursement of local government funds amounted to reckless propaganda aimed at misleading the public.
He said that local governments in Nigeria enjoy full financial autonomy and are constitutionally beyond the control of any individual, institution or state government.
“Dr. Oyetola has no constitutional or statutory role in local government finance.
“He has neither issued directives to banks nor interfered in the running of local councils in Osun State,” Akinola stated.
He accused the Adeleke administration and the House of Assembly of recycling alleged discredited claims, warning that press statements cannot overturn binding court judgments.
Akinola recalled the Supreme Court judgment of July 11, 2024, which unequivocally granted full financial autonomy to all local governments in Nigeria, expressly barring state governors from interfering in council affairs or hijacking their funds.
“The judgment is clear, final and irreversible. It cannot be set aside by political threats or propaganda,” he said.
He also referenced a Court of Appeal judgment delivered on February 10, 2025, which reinstated the duly elected local government chairmen in Osun State. According to him, the state government declined to appeal the judgment, making it final, binding and enforceable.
Akinola dismissed claims describing the reinstated chairmen as “illegal,” insisting that they were lawfully elected and restored by a superior court of record.
“No amount of political rhetoric can invalidate subsisting judicial pronouncements,” he stressed.
He further accused the Osun State Government of filing no fewer than twelve court cases on the matter, creating administrative bottlenecks while simultaneously resorting to public misinformation.
The Oyetola camp also alleged that the Adeleke administration instigated and sustained an eleven-month strike by local government workers to cripple council operations and undermine local government autonomy.
Akinola maintained that local governments possess full authority to manage their finances and governance structures, including elected councillors who constitutionally serve as the legislative arm at the grassroots level.
He condemned what he described as deliberate misrepresentation of settled legal issues by the Speaker of the House and cautioned against what he termed reckless public utterances, including remarks directed at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
“Public office does not confer immunity from responsibility or consequences,” he warned.
Akinola called on Nigerians, civil society organisations and defenders of constitutional democracy to resist attempts to undermine local government autonomy and to uphold the rule of law over political desperation.
If you want:
