By John Dike, Osogbo
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, has demanded the immediate release of over ₦130 billion in statutory allocations allegedly withheld from the state’s local governments, warning that the continued seizure of the funds is crippling grassroots governance and worsening hardship for workers and residents across the state.
He made the demand on Monday in a statewide broadcast in which he addressed what he described as the illegal occupation of local government secretariats and a growing threat to democratic order in Osun State.
According to Adeleke, council secretariats across the state have been unlawfully occupied for nearly one year by chairmen and councillors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), whose elections were nullified by the courts.
He recalled that the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, in November 2022, sacked the APC-led local government officials, a decision that was subsequently affirmed by the Court of Appeal in February and June 2025.
“The court removed them, not my administration,” the governor said, stressing that his government only acted in obedience to valid court judgments.
Adeleke explained that following the judicial pronouncements, his administration conducted fresh local government elections in strict compliance with subsisting court orders. The elections, he said, produced new chairmen and councillors who were duly sworn in on February 23, 2025.
He described those currently occupying the council secretariats as imposters acting without any lawful mandate.
The governor accused the immediate past governor of Osun State, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, of allegedly backing the continued occupation of the secretariats with the support of the Nigeria Police, an action he said undermines democracy, constitutionalism, and the rule of law.
Adeleke further alleged that local government workers who attempted to resume duty at their offices were harassed, intimidated, and chased away by armed police officers and political thugs.
At the centre of the crisis, the governor said, is the withholding of statutory allocations meant for the local governments. He disclosed that since February 2025, funds due to Osun local governments—now totalling about ₦130 billion—have not been released to the legally recognised council accounts.
According to him, the withheld funds are critical to the survival of grassroots administration, including the payment of salaries and allowances of primary school teachers, nurses, health workers across 332 primary health care centres, local government staff, traditional councils, and retirees.
He said the state government has been forced to make “painful sacrifices” and source alternative funds to keep salaries paid for nearly 12 months, a situation he described as unsustainable.
“Governance is about humanity, responsibility, and compassion,” Adeleke said. “But this burden cannot continue indefinitely.”
The governor also accused the United Bank for Africa (UBA) of allegedly allowing unauthorised individuals to operate local government accounts, an action he said contravenes banking regulations and democratic norms.
He disclosed that senior bank officials allegedly involved in the matter are already facing criminal prosecution, questioning whether such practices would be tolerated in jurisdictions such as New York or London, where the bank operates.
Calling for urgent federal intervention, Adeleke appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure the immediate release of the withheld local government funds and to safeguard democratic institutions in Osun State.
He insisted that the President was not complicit 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,” the governor said, framing the crisis as a clear choice between constitutional order and naked impunity.
Adeleke also called on Nigerians, civil society organisations, labour unions, and advocates of democracy to speak out against the continued occupation of local government secretariats and demand the release of council funds.
Despite the tension, the governor urged residents of Osun State to remain peaceful and law-abiding, assuring them that his administration remains committed to upholding the Constitution, defending democratic institutions, and protecting the welfare of the people.
He reaffirmed his resolve to pursue lawful means to restore normalcy to local governments and ensure that grassroots governance functions effectively in the interest of the people.
