Osun govt urges Tinubu to order release of withheld LG funds

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The Osun State Government has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to order the immediate release of local government allocations withheld from the state, citing a recent Court of Appeal judgment that upheld the February 22, 2025, council elections.

In a statement, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, welcomed the intervention of traditional rulers and other leaders in efforts to secure the release of the funds. He stressed that the continued withholding was inflicting undue hardship on grassroots communities.

Alimi said there was no legal or political basis for withholding the allocations, noting that the Court of Appeal’s June 13 judgment recognised the chairmen and councillors elected in February as the official leadership of the councils, following the removal of previous officeholders.

He argued that no judicial order existed to halt the release of the allocations, adding that under a state law and Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), local government accounts must be operated by duly elected officials.

According to him, even if the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy were implemented, payments would still have to be made to accounts operated by the February 22 elected officials in line with the law. He maintained that there was still no basis to continue withholding Osun’s allocations.

Alimi disclosed that the state government learned President Tinubu only became aware of the funds seizure through a newspaper report during the Eid holidays. He claimed the directive to withhold the funds came from the Attorney-General of the Federation to the Accountant-General without presidential approval.

He confirmed the government’s support for the plan by the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers to meet with the President on the matter.

Alimi alleged that the decision to withhold the funds was politically motivated to target Governor Ademola Adeleke, but insisted the real victims were residents across Osun State. He urged those behind the “illegal move” to abandon the action and release the allocations without delay.