Osun LG Crisis: Group Seeks Intervention Of Bar Association, Others

A pan-sociopolitical group based in Osogbo, Osun State, Dee Osun Monitors, has called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to revisit its earlier advocacy for the rule of law to prevail in the handling of the crisis bedevilling local government administration in Osun State.

Addressing a press conference in Osogbo yesterday, the convener, Prince Jide Akinyooye, contended that there is a need for the leadership of the NBA to follow up on its earlier efforts and advice to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), particularly in the area of misinterpretation of court judgements.

The group noted that the continued withholding of local government allocations by the federal government is stagnating grassroots development, adding that the people of the state have borne the brunt of the withholding since February 2025.

They therefore called for the interventions of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC),

Social Economic Rights Accountability Project (SERAP), Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA), African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Human Rights Watch Africa, Amnesty International Africa and Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), among others.

The group urged the federal government to release the local government allocations to the council officials legally elected under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 22, 2025, election.

He said, “An independent review by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in August 2025 has emphasised its view that “the withholding of allocations meant for the local governments in Osun State amounts to a violation of the Constitution, disregard for the Rule of Law and an affront on clear pronouncement of the Courts”.

Speaking further, Akinyooye said the situation across all the councils in the state was disturbing, alleging that the chairmen and councillors elected in the October 15, 2022, local government election were forcefully occupying the secretariat.

“It is sad to note that the situation across all the local government areas in Osun State is scandalous and unbelievably disturbing as the Court sacked local government Chairmen and Councillors have forcefully occupied all local government areas, while bank accounts were fraudulently opened in the name of local government areas without the care of officers,” he noted.