Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has accused former Local Government chairmen and councillors elected under the All Progressives Congress of unlawfully occupying council secretariats across the state, despite court rulings nullifying their elections.
In a statewide broadcast on Monday, Governor Adeleke stressed that the officials no longer hold any lawful mandate, noting that their tenure ended following judgments by the Federal High Court in 2022 and subsequent affirmations by the Court of Appeal in February and June 2025.
He reminded residents that fresh local government elections were properly conducted on 22 February 2025 by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, in compliance with court orders.
The officials sworn in the day after the elections, according to the governor, “remain the only legally recognised council leadership in the state.”
Governor Adeleke alleged that the former APC officials’ continued presence in council offices is being upheld through the backing of security operatives, describing it as “a threat to democratic governance at the grassroots.”
“I did not remove these APC chairmen and councillors from office, the court did. Since then, they have had no lawful mandate whatsoever. Yet, in brazen contempt of the law and in repudiation of democratic decency, they have refused to vacate the secretariats, emboldened by the backing of the Nigerian police, as allegedly instructed by former Governor Gboyega Oyetola,” he said.
The governor also raised concerns over the withholding of statutory allocations to Osun State local governments, totaling about N130 billion, which he said has worsened financial hardship for primary school teachers, health workers, council staff, and retirees.
“As you are aware, since February 2025, statutory allocations to Osun State local governments have been withheld. As of the last FAAC meeting, a total of one hundred and thirty billion naira (N130 billion) of our local government funds is being illegally withheld by the Federal Government. The local government statutory allocation is the primary source for the remuneration of primary school teachers, nurses, and other health workers. This is not sustainable,” Governor Adeleke stated.
In December 2025, the Supreme Court condemned the federal government’s seizure of Osun State local government funds but did not order the release of the money.
The court held, by a 6-1 majority, that the Osun State Government lacked the authority to act on behalf of the local governments, which legally owned the funds.
Allegations Against Former Governor Oyetola
Governor Adeleke accused former Osun State governor Gboyega Oyetola, now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, of exerting undue influence over the state by supporting individuals whose council tenures had expired.
“In Osun State, it seems that the APC chairmen and councillors, whose so-called tenure has expired, are above the law by the grace of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola. I have formally written to the heads of relevant federal security agencies regarding actions that threaten peace and order in Osun State. It is deeply unfortunate that former Governor Gboyega Oyetola has chosen to weaponise federal institutions, particularly the Nigerian Police Force. He has equally applied the same approach to the United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) to impose hardship and suffering on the good people of Osun State through alleged illegal instructions,” he said.
Allegations Against UBA
Governor Adeleke further accused UBA of enabling financial irregularities, alleging that attempts were made to reroute statutory allocations through accounts managed by unauthorized individuals.
“Attempts were made to divert those funds through accounts opened with United Bank for Africa (UBA) by people not authorized by law to be signatories to local government funds. What I do not understand is why a reputable international bank like UBA has allowed itself to be used to break our laws and permit people who are not recognized by law to be signatories to Osun State local government accounts, after it has been advised on those whom the law says can be signatories to these accounts. Can UBA wilfully break the laws of New York State or the laws of the City of London where it operates? The answer is a CAPITAL NO,” he said.
Allegations Against the Police
The governor also criticized the Nigerian Police Force for allegedly protecting the unlawful occupation of council secretariats and harassing local government workers.
“Although the police initially promised protection, many of these workers were instead beaten, harassed, and intimidated by a combination of armed police officers and APC thugs. The use of armed police officers to occupy local government secretariats and intimidate civil servants is a grave abuse of power and an affront to democracy. My administration took serious exception to this development. However, we have deliberately chosen the path of peace. This is because the ultimate objective of these enemies of our people is to provoke violence, unleash mayhem, and then manufacture conditions for the imposition of a state of emergency on Osun State,” Governor Adeleke said.
He appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, emphasizing that the president is not complicit in the situation.
“At this point, I respectfully appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene. I wish to assure the good people of Osun State that Mr. President is not involved in this illegality. Mr. President is among those who fought the military for our democracy,” he said.
Governor Adeleke urged residents to remain calm while reiterating his administration’s commitment to defending constitutional governance and the rule of law.
The dispute over local government leadership in Osun traces back to council elections under the previous administration.
In November 2022, the Federal High Court in Osogbo nullified the election of APC local government chairmen and councillors due to non-compliance with electoral and constitutional requirements, a ruling later upheld by the Court of Appeal.
Following the judgements, the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission conducted fresh elections in February 2025, after which new officials were sworn in.
Nonetheless, several sacked APC officials reportedly continued occupying local government secretariats, resulting in parallel claims of authority.
