Lagos — The lingering local government crisis in Osun State took a fresh turn on Monday as Governor Ademola Adeleke demanded the immediate release of over N130 billion in statutory allocations allegedly withheld from the state's local councils.

The demand comes nearly a year after the governor swore in elected chairmen and councillors following the February 23, 2025, local government elections, which were won by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Since then, administration at the grassroots level has remained paralysed amid a protracted legal and political battle between the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The crisis stems from claims by APC chairmen elected in October 2022 under former governor Adegboyega Oyetola, who insist they remain in office despite court rulings nullifying their elections.

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While a Federal High Court in Osogbo voided the elections in November 2022, the Court of Appeal later overturned that decision. However, Adeleke maintains that subsequent appellate judgments in February and June 2025 reaffirmed the nullification of the APC officials' mandates.

In a statewide broadcast, the governor alleged that since the swearing-in of PDP chairmen, statutory allocations to local governments had not been released into the legally recognised council accounts.

He warned that the continued occupation of council secretariats and withholding of funds were crippling grassroots governance and inflicting hardship on workers and residents.

He described the occupants of the council secretariats as impostors acting without lawful mandate and accused former governor Oyetola of backing the occupation with police support.

In response, the Osun APC accused the governor of spreading falsehoods, insisting that its chairmen and councillors were lawfully occupying the council secretariats.