‘Withholding Osun Local Gov’t Funds Highly Political,’ Says Ozekhome

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof. Mike Ozekhome, has described the withholding of local government funds in Osun State by the Federal Government as “highly political.”

Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ on Sunday night, Ozekhome faulted the AGF’s handling of disbursement of allocations in local government councils in Osun State, recalling how a High Court had nullified the elections that produced All Progressives Congress (APC) local government council officials, yet the AGF allegedly directed funds to them.

“Let me tell you, it is highly political because the Attorney General wrote a letter dated March 21 to the minister of finance to release the funds due to the local governments to the APC officials of whom he knew very well had been sacked from office and never reinstated by any court of law,” he stated.

“The Bola Tinubu administration, with all respect, should be guided by history,” he added.

Ozekhome reminded President Bola Tinubu of his own history of opposing such actions while serving as Lagos State governor during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“As governor of Lagos State, he challenged the withholding of Lagos State funds by the then Obasanjo government. The Supreme Court held that the federal government could never withhold the funds meant for local governments in the state,” he recalled.

According to him, the current situation could have been avoided if the AGF had offered the president sound guidance.

“So I would have thought that if the Attorney General gave proper guidance, proper advice, which is his role as protector and defender of the national will, the people’s interest, I do not see President Bola Tinubu saying no,” Ozekhome said.

He further warned that failure to provide such advice, or to resign when it is ignored, reflects poorly on the Attorney General of the Federation.

“If I am Attorney General and I give the President advice which I know is grounded in law and he refuses, I will resign,” he declared.

Drawing on past precedents, Ozekhome cited the case of former Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State, when the then President Goodluck Jonathan was advised that while a state of emergency could be declared, a governor could not be removed outside the constitutional process, “Of course, the President (Jonathan) abided,” the senior lawyer added.