Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has launched a strong accusation against his predecessor, Adegboyega Oyetola, alleging a deliberate attempt to destabilise democratic governance at the local government level in the state.
In a statewide broadcast shared on his official X handle on Monday, Adeleke accused Oyetola of weaponising federal institutions—particularly the Nigeria Police Force and a commercial bank, the United Bank of Africa (UBA) —to sustain what he described as the illegal occupation of local government secretariats across Osun State.
The governor decried the continued presence of All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen and councillors whose elections were nullified by the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo in November 2022. He noted that the judgement was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal on February 10, 2025, and reaffirmed again on June 13, 2025, yet the affected officials allegedly refused to vacate office even after their tenure expired on October 22, 2025.
“For close to one year now, local government secretariats across Osun State have been under illegal occupation by the court-sacked APC chairmen and councillors. 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 Nigeria Police, as allegedly instructed by former Governor Gboyega Oyetola,” Adeleke said.
He explained that in compliance with subsisting court orders, the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission conducted fresh local government elections on February 22, 2025, with the newly elected officials sworn in the following day, February 23, 2025. According to him, those officials remain the only legitimate and lawful local government leadership in the state.
The governor further revealed that statutory allocations meant for Osun State local governments had allegedly been withheld since February 2025. He claimed that as of the most recent Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting, a total of ₦130 billion remained unpaid.
Adeleke alleged that there were attempts to divert the withheld funds through accounts unlawfully opened by unauthorised individuals with a commercial bank. He disclosed that senior bank officials who facilitated the opening of those accounts were already facing criminal prosecution.
“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 recognised by law to be signatories to Osun State local government 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,” the governor said.
According to Adeleke, the prolonged withholding of local government funds forced his administration to borrow from the state government to pay salaries of essential workers over the past year. He said primary school teachers, nurses, health workers, and local government staff were kept afloat only through emergency state intervention, while allowances for senior civil servants and political appointees were suspended.
“The local government statutory allocation is the primary source for the remuneration of primary school teachers, nurses, and other health workers at the 332 health care centres in Osun State, all local government workers, the traditional councils, as well as retirees in each local government in Osun State.
“Imagine the level of suffering these people who depend on local government statutory allocations for the payment of their salaries would have gone through if my government had not stepped in to borrow from the state government to pay the salaries of these workers over the last almost 12 months, with the exception of traditional council salaries,” he added.
The governor appealed directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, stressing that the President was not complicit in the alleged illegality and that his name was being used without authorisation.
“I respectfully request that former Governor Gboyega Oyetola be restrained from further issuance of illegal directives to the Nigeria Police, which undermine the very fabric of our democracy. Former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, please allow Osun State to breathe. Enough is enough,” Adeleke said.
He also urged residents of Osun State to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding, assuring them of his administration’s commitment to constitutional order and the protection of their welfare.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister for Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Bolaji Akinola, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages were not returned as of the time of filing this report.
