The Osun State Government has dismissed allegations that it is forcing local government finance directors and administrators to change signatories to council accounts, as tensions rise between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the opposition All Progressives Congress over control of local governments.
The controversy was sparked by claims from the Allied Peoples Movement Chairman in Osun, Adewale Adebayo, who alleged that Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration was coercing senior local government officials into altering financial account details to favor newly elected PDP-backed council officials.
Adebayo claimed that 30 finance directors and heads of local administration had been taken to an undisclosed location where they were allegedly pressured to comply.
He further accused the government of disregarding a Court of Appeal ruling that upheld the October 15, 2022, local government elections conducted under the previous APC-led administration.
“These individuals have been reportedly held against their will, an act that undermines the principles of democracy and the rule of law,” Adebayo alleged.
In a swift reaction, Osun’s Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, dismissed the claims as baseless, accusing the opposition of spreading falsehoods.
“This is just an attempt to create a false narrative. The Commissioner for Local Government has confirmed that no such directive was given. APM is crying more than the bereaved,” Alimi stated.
He maintained that no changes had been made to council account signatories and urged the opposition to stop peddling misinformation.
Meanwhile, the APC has urged local government workers to return to their duty posts, insisting that they must remain neutral in the ongoing political battle.
Former Special Adviser on Education, Jamiu Olawumi, speaking for the APC, reminded workers that reinstated local government chairmen had issued a 72-hour ultimatum for them to resume work.
However, the Nigeria Labour Congress in Osun rejected the directive, citing security concerns.
NLC Chairman Christopher Arapasopo stated that workers would not return until their safety was assured. However, Olawumi insisted that local government operations would continue with or without them.
Amid the crisis, an Osun-based civil organization, The Osun Masterminds, has urged all parties to return to court to settle the matter legally rather than escalating tensions.
Executive Director of the group, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, called for restraint, warning that prolonged conflict could destabilize the state ahead of the 2026 Osun gubernatorial election.
“All parties must immediately return to the relevant courts to clarify the subsisting judgments so that the current issues can be amicably resolved. If this crisis escalates into next year, it could destabilize our once peaceful Osun State,” he warned.
