Call Oyetola to Order, Adeleke Tells Tinubu over Lingering Osun State Local Govt Crisis

• Says court-sacked APC chairmen lack mandate to stay in office

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has told President Bola Tinubu to call Minister of Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, to order, alleging that he is behind the crisis in the state’s local government system.

Adeleke reiterated that the self-awarded tenure of APC local government chairmen lapsed in 2025 and could not be elongated under the law and Supreme Court precedents.

Adeleke faulted the minister’s submission on the local government crisis, insisting that the former governor is the chief architect of the paralysis and the untold hardship being inflicted on Osun people.

Adeleke said a Federal High Court had sacked the APC chairmen in 2022 and the judgement was later validated by a Court of Appeal judgement, which also acknowledged that newly validly elected chairmen and councillors from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were already sworn into office.

The governor reminded the minister that the APC chairmen were sacked by the court because their election was conducted under Oyetola in violation of the Electoral Act, which stipulated a year notice before conducting local elections.

He queried Oyetola’s motive for conducting local government election in violation of the law and soon after he lost his re-election bid in 2022, insisting that the minister should bear full responsibility for the paralysis of the councils, which are well-known to the mass of Osun people.

While APC insisted on not quitting office, despite court rulings, and while the minister ensured the seizure of council allocations, the governor said he had ensured regular payment of salaries. He questioned why Oyetola preferred local workers to suffer even after blocking funding flow to the local government system.

The governor expressed shock at the minister’s denial of paralysis of local governments in Osun, calling it an insult to Osun traditional rulers whose salaries could not be paid; a denigration of local workers, who survived only through salaries minus the allowances; and gross contempt for local government workers, who were recently molested and harassed by APC thugs and tenure-less chairmen.

Adeleke said, “Under what authority is Mr Oyetola and his cronies in the guise of council chairmen disbursing funds meant for salaries of local government workers.

“Under what authority is he deciding who gets paid or not? Why are they not paying salaries of local health workers, local teachers and local retirees?”