Governor Adeleke Demands Immediate Release Of Withheld ₦130bn Osun LG Funds

Osun State governor, Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke, has demanded the immediate release of over ₦130 billion in statutory allocations withheld from the state’s local government area councils, warning that the action was crippling grassroots governance and inflicting severe hardship on workers and residents across the state.

According to a statement signed by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, the governor made the demand on Monday in a statewide broadcast addressing what he described as the illegal occupation of local government secretariats and the urgent need to defend democratic order in the state.

Adeleke said court-sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) elected chairmen and councillors have continued to unlawfully occupy council secretariats across Osun State for almost one year, despite clear judgements of the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo in November 2022 and subsequent affirmations by the Court of Appeal in February and June 2025, which nullified their elections.

“The court removed them, not my administration,” Adeleke said, stressing that his government merely complied with subsisting court orders.

According to the governor, fresh local government elections were conducted in line with court judgements, culminating in the swearing-in of duly elected chairpersons and councillors on February 23, 2025.

He described those currently occupying the council secretariats as “imposters” who have no lawful mandate to act on behalf of the people.

Adeleke accused the immediate-past governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola, of allegedly backing the continued occupation of the council secretariats with the support of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), an action he said posed a grave threat to democracy and the rule of law.

He further alleged that local government workers who attempted to resume duty at the secretariats were harassed and intimidated by armed police officers and political thugs, creating an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness at the grassroots level.

Central to the governor’s address was the issue of withheld local government funds. Adeleke disclosed that since February 2025, statutory allocations due to Osun local governments—now amounting to about ₦130 billion—have not been released to the legitimate council accounts.

He said the funds were critical to the payment of salaries and entitlements of primary school teachers, nurses, health workers in the state’s 332 primary healthcare centres, council workers, traditional councils, and retirees.

According to the governor, the state government has been forced to make “painful sacrifices” and source funds outside statutory allocations to keep salaries paid for nearly 12 months, a situation he warned cannot be sustained.

“Governance is about humanity, responsibility, and compassion, but this burden cannot continue indefinitely,” Adeleke said.

The governor also accused the United Bank for Africa (UBA) of allegedly allowing unauthorised individuals to operate local government accounts, describing the action as a serious breach of financial and legal standards.

He revealed that senior bank officials involved in the alleged infractions are already facing criminal prosecution.

Adeleke questioned whether such practices would be tolerated in global financial centres where the bank operates. “Would this be allowed in New York or London?” he asked.

Calling for urgent federal intervention, the governor appealed directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure the immediate release of the withheld funds and to protect democratic institutions in Osun State.

He maintained that the President was not involved in the alleged illegality and urged him to intervene decisively to rescue the Osun local governments from what he described as an unlawful siege.

“There is no provision in our Constitution for tenure elongation,” Adeleke said, framing the crisis as a clear choice between constitutional order and “naked impunity.”

He also called on Nigerians, civil society groups, and democracy advocates to demand an immediate end to the occupation of local government secretariats and the release of council funds.

The governor urged residents of the state to remain peaceful and law-abiding, assuring them of his administration’s unwavering commitment to upholding the Constitution and safeguarding the welfare of the people.