Gov Adeleke demands release of withheld N130bn LG fund

Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has demanded the immediate release of over N130 billion in statutory allocations allegedly withheld from the state’s local governments.

It would be recalled that the governor swore in elected chairmen and councillors on February 23, 2025.

However, in a statewide broadcast on Monday on the illegal occupation of local government secretariats and the defence of democratic order, the governor alleged that since the swearing-in, the statutory allocations due to the state’s local governments have not been released to the legal accounts of the councils.

He warned that the continued blockade is crippling grassroots governance and inflicting hardship on workers and residents.

He said the funds are critical for the payment of salaries of primary school teachers, nurses, health workers, council workers, traditional councils and retirees.

According to him, the state government has had to look for funds and sacrificed to keep salaries paid for almost 12 months.

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

Adeleke said the court-sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen and councillors had unlawfully occupied council offices across the state for nearly a year, despite judgments of the Federal High Court, Osogbo, in November 2022 and affirmations by the Court of Appeal in February and June 2025 nullifying their elections.

“The court removed them, not my administration,” he said.

He described the current occupants of the secretariats as impostors acting without any lawful mandate.

Adeleke accused former governor Gboyega Oyetola of allegedly backing the continued occupation with police support, saying it undermines democracy and the rule of law.

He alleged that the local government workers who attempted to resume duty were harassed and intimidated by armed police officers and political thugs.

The governor also accused the United Bank for Africa (UBA) of allegedly allowing unauthorized persons to operate local government accounts, adding that senior bank officials involved are already facing criminal prosecution.

He, however, exonerated President Bola Tinubu of being involved in the alleged illegality and urged him to rescue the local governments from what he described as an unlawful siege.

“There is no provision in our Constitution for tenure elongation,” he said.

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