Adeleke, Egbedun
A fresh controversy has erupted in Osun State over the status of local government allocations, as the Osun State House of Assembly the Osun State House of Assembly differ with Governor Ademola Adeleke by present conflicting claims on whether the funds have been withheld by federal government or are already domiciled in council accounts and spent by the ‘reinstated’ All Progressives Congress(APC) executives.
While the state government through Governor Adeleke in a statewide broadcast alleged that local government allocations running into over ₦130 billion have been illegally withheld since February 2025, however, the Osun State House of Assembly insisted that at least ₦50 billion from the allocations has already been disbursed and allegedly diverted for unlawful purposes.
AFRESH247 recalled that Governor Adeleke said council funds due to Osun local governments, now totalling about ₦130 billion, have not been released.
The Governor said, “as you are aware, since February 2025, statutory allocations to Osun State local governments have been withheld. As of the last FAAC meeting, a total of One Hundred and Thirty Billion Naira of our local government funds is being illegally withheld by the Federal Government.
“Attempts were made to divert those funds through accounts opened with United Bank for Africa (UBA) by people not authorized by law to be signatories to local government funds.”
However, the Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun in press conference held on Sunday, contradicted this position, alleging that substantial portions of the local government funds had already been spent by the “illegal” APC chairmen and councilors.
He claimed that over ₦50 billion had been disbursed under the alleged directives of former governor Gboyega Oyetola to individuals it described as “illegal APC chairmen and councillors,” as well as to selected traditional rulers and private lawyers.
According to figures released by the House, the alleged payments include ₦25 million each to 30 APC local government chairmen, ₦12 million each to their vice chairmen, ₦10 million to each of 332 councillors, ₦130 million to selected traditional rulers, and ₦13 billion paid as legal fees to a private law firm representing the sacked officials.
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He said, the House is particularly alarmed by credible information that huge sums of Local Government funds have been paid under the directive of Mr Gboyega Oyetola. N25m payment to each of the 30 illegal APC chairmen; N12m payment to each of the 30 illegal APC Vice Chairmen; N10m payment to each of the 332 APC Councilors; N130m each, to selected traditional rulers in Osun State; N13B legal fees payment to Layonu and co, lawyers representing the illegal chairmen and councilors as 15% of deposited funds.
“Meanwhile, NOT one naira has been paid in the last 12 months as salaries of local government workers by these illegal APC local government chairmen: Primary School Teachers – Zero Nurses and other Healthcare Workers – Zero Local Government Civil Servants – Zero Traditional Rulers Not favored by Gboyega Oyetola – Zero Retirees – Zero.
“Even more disturbing are reports before this House that plans are allegedly underway to disburse another N50B (Fifty Billion Naira) of Local Government funds for political purposes, disguised as project funds, while governance at the grassroots continues to suffer. This House will not tolerate the diversion of public funds meant for salaries, healthcare, education, and community development into private hands to fund the election of a particular politician in Osun State.”
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