The former local government chairmen elected under the All Progressives Congress in 2022 have accused the Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, of spending federal allocations meant for local governments in the state, amounting to N183,196,629,321.19.
The chairmen, who were removed from office by the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, addressed a press conference on Saturday in Osogbo, alleging that Adeleke violated the 1999 Constitution and disregarded the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy by withholding and misappropriating federal allocations.
Speaking on behalf of the chairmen, Chief Owoeye Abiodun said the Supreme Court judgment of July 11, 2024, forbade state governments from tampering with local government allocations. He added that Governor Adeleke should be held accountable for his disregard for the judgment.
Chief Abiodun claimed that Adeleke’s actions had impoverished residents at the grassroots, particularly due to the absence of democratically elected local government officials. He called on the Federal Government and relevant agencies to investigate the matter and ensure justice is served.
According to him, “The administration of Ademola Adeleke has violated the 1999 Constitution by withholding and spending federal allocations totaling N183,196,629,321.19 credited to the 30 local government councils from November 2022 to November 2024.
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“The actions by the Adeleke administration go against the spirit and decision of the Supreme Court on the sovereignty of local governments in the country, particularly regarding their funding.
“We are deeply concerned by the flagrant abuse and disregard for the judicial pronouncement of the highest court in the land.
“We all recall that on July 11, 2024, in Suit No: SC/CV/343/2024, the Supreme Court, in its landmark judgment, forbade state governments from tampering with local government allocations.
“This untoward behavior of the PDP administration in Osun has disgracefully impoverished the people of the state, especially those at the grassroots.
“To this effect, it is disheartening to note that between November 2022 and November 2024, a staggering sum of N183,196,629,321.19 (One Hundred and Eighty-Three Billion, One Hundred and Ninety-Six Million, Six Hundred and Twenty-Nine Thousand, Three Hundred and Twenty-One Naira, Nineteen Kobo), allocated to the 30 local government councils of the state, has been received and unfathomably spent by the Ademola Adeleke administration.
“Curiously, our concern stems from the fact that the Ademola Adeleke administration has embarked on this impunity without democratically elected local government officials in place.
“This, in itself, is an intentional subversion of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). As law-abiding citizens of Nigeria, we frown upon this unbecoming attitude of the PDP administration in Osun State.
“The mind-boggling question is: Where has the over N183 billion received by the Ademola Adeleke administration on behalf of our local government councils gone? What has Adeleke’s administration done with the people’s money at the grassroots without anything to show for it? The Federal Government and its relevant agencies should address this by ensuring that justice is done for the people of Osun, especially those at the grassroots.”
In response, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, described the accusations made by the sacked chairmen as mischievous and misleading, promising to provide a detailed response regarding the figures and other related issues.
