The Osun State Government has again appealed to the Federal Government to release the state’s local government allocations, citing compliance with the June 13 Court of Appeal judgment on the leadership of local councils in the state.
In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the government described the continued withholding of the funds as unjustifiable, insisting that the duly elected chairmen and councillors from the February 22, 2025 local government elections remain the legitimate leaders of the councils in line with the law.
Alimi stressed that there is no legal or political basis for the seizure of the allocations, noting that the appellate court had validated the earlier judgment that sacked the former “APC Yes/No” election chairmen and councillors.
“We further submit that there is no judicial judgment halting the release of the withheld funds. The Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy has never been implemented, and Osun State cannot be singled out from the 36 states even if that judgment comes into effect,” the statement read.
The commissioner explained that even under the Supreme Court ruling, local government accounts must be operated with the elected officials as signatories, in accordance with the law passed by the State Assembly and Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Alimi alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was unaware of the seizure until he read about it in the Nigerian Tribune during the Eid holiday, claiming that the Attorney-General of the Federation ordered the withholding without presidential consent. He urged the president to intervene immediately.
The government also welcomed the planned intervention of the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers, describing the matter as one beyond politics, as it directly impacts grassroots communities.
“As a government, we learnt that those who masterminded the fund seizure were targeting Governor Ademola Adeleke, but the real victims are the people of Osun State,” Alimi said. “The attack on the state governor has failed, and we urge those behind the illegal move to abandon this anti-people path and release the funds without further delay.”
