Withdraw litigations to allow release of LG allocations, APC tells Adeleke

From Lateef Dada, Osogbo

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has urged Governor Ademola Adeleke to withdraw litigations that are obstructing the release of local government allocations in the state.

During a press conference in Osogbo yesterday, APC Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, noted that funds meant for local governments have already been deposited in commercial banks in accordance with a recent Supreme Court judgment.

He expressed concern that legal actions initiated by the governor are causing delays in accessing these funds.

“We call on Governor Adeleke, in the interest of peace, legality, and the welfare of grassroots communities, to immediately withdraw all frivolous and obstructive litigations designed to frustrate the release of local government allocations.”

Lawal empasised that the allocations should be released to the local governments for which they are intended, as they currently reside in commercial banks following Supreme Court directives.

“The people of Osun State deserve governance based on truth, constitutional fidelity, and respect for the rule of law, not persistent misinformation and manufactured conflicts,” Lawal added.

The APC also criticised Governor Adeleke’s recent broadcast titled “The Illegal Occupation of Local Government Secretariats and the Defence of Democratic Order in Osun State,” positing that it was filled with misrepresentation and selective narration of facts aimed at deflecting responsibility for the current crisis, which they claim stems from his administration.

“It is patently false to assert that the reinstated APC Chairmen and Councillors are ‘illegally occupying’ Local Government secretariats. Their return to office followed clear and subsisting judicial pronouncements, especially the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on February 10, 2025, which nullified the basis for their earlier removal.”

Lawal explained that this judgment is still valid and unchallenged. He also recalled that when Adeleke took office, he replaced duly elected APC local government officials with caretaker arrangements, bypassing the legal process.

“The matter currently before the Federal High Court in Osogbo involves a legitimate inquiry into the interpretation of the constitutionally guaranteed three-year tenure and the legality of conducting new local government elections while that tenure is active.

“It is important to note that this is a judicial inquiry, not an attempt to extend tenure. Governor Adeleke’s claims that the Federal Government is ‘withholding’ local government allocations are also misleading,” Lawal said.