Osun LG Crisis: Gov Adeleke Accuses Oyetola, Calls on Tinubu to Intervene

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has accused former governor and current Minister of Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of fueling the crisis rocking the local government system in the state.

The governor called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene urgently and restrain the minister, whom he described as the main force behind the breakdown of local government administration in Osun.

Adeleke said the controversy surrounding the councils did not begin under his administration. He insisted that the tenure of the All Progressives Congress (APC) local government chairmen ended in 2025 and could not be extended under Nigerian law or Supreme Court rulings.

He rejected Oyetola’s claims on the matter and blamed him for what he described as deliberate paralysis and suffering imposed on residents across the state.

According to the governor, the APC chairmen were removed from office by a Federal High Court judgment in 2022. He added that the Court of Appeal later upheld the ruling and confirmed that newly elected chairmen and councillors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had already been sworn in legally.

Adeleke recalled that the court sacked the APC officials because their election was conducted in violation of the Electoral Act. He said the law requires at least one year’s notice before local government elections can be held.

He questioned why Oyetola went ahead with the election shortly after losing his re-election bid in 2022, despite knowing it did not meet legal requirements.

The governor said the former governor must take responsibility for the present crisis, which he claimed has crippled council activities and caused hardship for workers and residents.

Adeleke further alleged that while the APC chairmen refused to vacate office despite court rulings, the minister ensured that local government allocations were blocked.

He said his government continued to pay workers’ salaries despite the financial constraints caused by the seizure of council funds.

The governor expressed concern that local government employees were suffering unnecessarily. He asked why Oyetola would prefer workers to struggle after stopping the release of statutory allocations meant for the councils.

Adeleke described the minister’s denial of a breakdown in local government administration as disturbing and disrespectful to traditional rulers and council workers.

He said many traditional rulers had not received their salaries, while council workers survived on reduced pay without allowances.

He also accused APC loyalists and chairmen whose tenure had expired of harassing local government workers in recent weeks.

Raising further questions, 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?”

The governor maintained that only duly elected and sworn-in officials had the constitutional power to manage council funds and oversee local administration.

He warned that continued interference in the affairs of the councils could deepen the crisis and weaken grassroots governance in the state.

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