The lingering political crisis surrounding withheld Local Government allocations in Osun State has taken a new dimension as the State Government dragged the Nigerian Federal Government and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN to the country’s Supreme Court.
The case centers on the alleged non-release of allocation from the Federation Account due to the 30 Local Government Areas and one area office of Osun State for the past 3 months.
Since January 2025 the Federal Government and Osun State government have been at logger heads over the status of the financial autonomy of its LG Council administrations, resulting in a reported withholding of statutory allocations meant for the 30 Local Governments for the past 3 consecutive months.
The Commissioner for Local Government, Dosu Babatunde told Journalists in Oshogbo that despite the development, the State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has not stopped paying the salaries and allowances of Local Government workers.
Babatunde confirmed reports that the State Government has sued the Federal Government at the Supreme Court on the matter, stating that the Federal Government’s action is not only selective, but raises serious questions.
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Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) which is the opposition Party in Osun State has insisted that the Local Government Areas Chairmen elected in 2022 are the ones that the law recognises, and urged the FG to allow them access to the withheld LG funds.
No date has been fixed by the Nigerian apex Court on the matter.
(Editor: Ken Eseni)
