Adeleke Demands Release of N130bn LG Funds, Decries Illegal Siege on Secretariats

• Alleges police receiving illegal orders from Oyetola

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

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. Adeleke warned that refusal to release the funds was crippling grassroots governance and inflicting hardship on workers and residents.

In a state-wide broadcast, yesterday, on alleged illegal occupation of local government secretariats and defence of democratic order, Adeleke said court-sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen and councillors had unlawfully occupied council offices across the state for nearly a year, despite judgements 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,” the governor said, stressing that fresh local government elections were conducted in compliance with subsisting court orders, leading to the swearing-in of duly elected chairmen and councillors on February 23, 2025.

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

Adeleke accused the former governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, of allegedly backing the continued occupation with police support, an action he said undermined democracy and the rule of law.

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

Adeleke disclosed that since February 2025, statutory allocations due to Osun local governments, now totalling about N130 billion, had not been released to the legal accounts of the councils.

He said the funds were critical for the payment of salaries of primary school teachers, nurses, health workers in 332 primary health care centres, council workers, traditional councils, and retirees.

According to him, the state government has had to look for funds and make painful sacrifices to pay salaries for almost 12 months, a situation he described as unsustainable.

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