Osun ALGON says LG officials acting lawfully, dismisses alleged Oyetola influence

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

Local government chairmen and councillors in Osun State have insisted that their continued presence in council secretariats is lawful, dismissing claims by Governor Ademola Adeleke that former Governor Gboyega Oyetola is behind their actions.

Reacting to the Governor’s earlier claims, the state chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Samuel Abiodun Idowu, emphasised that the councils operate autonomously as a tier of government and that former Governor Oyetola has no involvement in their operations.

Idowu said that their continued stay in the councils is backed by the February 10, 2025 judgment of the Court of Appeal in Akure, noting that they had been prevented from serving their elected tenure after Governor Adeleke issued an executive order removing them from office.

He questioned Adeleke’s shift in narrative on tenure, noting that the governor had previously maintained that the officials had no tenure at all.

According to the ALGON chairman, the officials have approached the Federal High Court in Osogbo, which has final authority on the matter.

Idowu, who said the hearing is scheduled for February 3, 2026, maintained that they will remain in the councils until the court delivers its judgment.

“So far as we are concerned, we won the judgment of the Court of Appeal on February 10, 2025. Upon that, we rely. Our stay in the councils is legal because we have gone to the court to determine our tenure extension,” he maintained.