Osun LG Crisis: Adeleke Urges Tinubu to Restrain Oyetola Over ‘Illegal’ Council Occupation - ITREALMS

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The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has intensified his administrative face-off with the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and restrain the Minister from further orchestrating the ongoing local government crisis, reports ITREALMS.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Governor Adeleke reiterated his position that the tenure of All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen, which he described as "self-awarded," officially lapsed in 2025 and cannot be legally elongated under existing laws or Supreme Court precedents.

Reacting to a recent press release from the Minister’s office, Governor Adeleke dismissed the Minister’s submissions as a distortion of facts, labeling the former Governor as the "chief architect" of the current administrative paralysis inflicting hardship on the people of Osun. 

The Governor clarified that the removal of the APC chairmen was the result of a Federal High Court ruling in 2022, not an executive order, which was subsequently validated by the Court of Appeal. 

The appellate court, he noted, recognized the legal standing of the newly elected People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chairmen and councillors who had already been sworn into office.

Governor Adeleke further reminded the Minister that the courts voided the previous local government elections because they were conducted in blatant violation of the Electoral Act, which mandates a one-year notice period before such polls.

He questioned the motive behind conducting an election so soon after the Minister lost his 2022 re-election bid, insisting that the Minister must bear full responsibility for the resulting operational deadlock within the local councils.

Despite the alleged seizure of local government allocations prompted by the Minister’s camp, Adeleke maintained that his administration has continued to prioritize the payment of salaries for local workers to mitigate the suffering caused by the funding blockade.

Expressing deep concern over the Minister’s denial of the crisis, the Governor described such claims as an insult to traditional rulers and local government staff. 

He lamented that while the state struggles to sustain local workers through base salaries, allowances remain unpaid due to the ongoing interference. 

Adeleke challenged the authority under which the Minister’s associates continue to disburse funds meant for workers, asking why health workers, teachers, and retirees are being sidelined in the process.

Concluding with a stern warning, the Governor placed the Minister, financial institutions, and the ousted chairmen on notice, asserting that any mishandling of local government funds would be treated as "daylight robbery" and prosecuted accordingly. 

He characterized the Minister’s reliance on ongoing court cases as a justification to remain in office as an "escape from reality," arguing that it is a threat to democratic sanity to allow officials sacked by a subsisting judgment to continue tampering with public funds.

Charging the Minister to "allow Osun people to breathe," Adeleke urged Oyetola to lift the siege on council secretariats and stop dragging President Tinubu’s name into the local dispute.