Adeleke to APC LG chairs: Your self-awarded tenure ended in 2025

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has warned chairmen of local governments elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to vacate council secretariats, saying their self-awarded tenure expired on October 22, 2025 and cannot be extended under the constitution or Supreme Court precedents. In a statement, Adeleke accused the affected chairmen of unlawfully occupying council offices and handling public funds despite the expiration of their tenure, describing the situation as an abuse of local government autonomy and a violation of state laws. “Local government autonomy is not equal to unjustifiable seizure of local government funds meant for local health workers, teachers and pensioners,” the governor said, adding that his administration had continued to pay council workers to prevent hardship. He insisted that those occupying the councils had no legal mandate and should vacate immediately. Responding to opposition reactions to his recent broadcast, Adeleke said the tenure in question was illegal from inception and formally ended last year. “In a democracy, unelected people cannot lay claim to local governments or tamper with public funds. You cannot elongate your tenure for a day without consequences,” he said, adding that security agencies should not provide cover for individuals with expired mandates. Adeleke argued that the APC officials’ admission that their tenure had lapsed and their decision to seek judicial extension should have compelled them to vacate office pending court proceedings. “The fact that you file a case does not mean your tenure has been extended. The constitution does not allow it,” he said, accusing the APC in the state of “grave breaches” of the law. The governor also alleged that a commercial bank had colluded with individuals without mandates to operate local government accounts, describing the action as criminal and already before the court.

Adeleke said he had informed the Presidency of the situation, warning against the use of President Bola Tinubu’s name to justify what he called illegality and impunity, and urged the protection of democratic practices in the state.

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