By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
Reactions have trailed the call by the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, for President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the withheld allocations to local governments of the state.
The reactions from Nigerians across various social media platforms questioned the governor’s intention and urged him to comply with the order of the court to reinstate sacked local government chairpersons.
Others noted that the governor’s plea would not achieve much since he was not in the same party as the president.
Adeleke, speaking during a state broadcast on Monday, January 26, noted that local government workers in the state are suffering following the withholding of the allocations.
He said the local government allocations are the primary source of remuneration for primary school teachers, nurses, and other health workers at the 332 health care centres in Osun, as well as for local government workers, traditional councils, and retirees.
The governor further disclosed that his government had to borrow money from the state coffers to pay local government salaries, adding that the development was unsustainable and had slowed down ongoing projects in the state.
He said, “Imagine the level of suffering these people who depend on local government statutory allocations for the payment of their salaries would have gone through if my government had not stepped in to borrow from the state government to pay the salaries of these workers over the last almost 12 months, with the exception of traditional council salaries.
“To raise the funds from the state government, many sacrifices had to be made. Allowances due to senior civil servants and political appointees had to be put on hold, causing great discomfort to these men and women and slowing some of the state’s ongoing projects.”
The governor appealed to Tinubu to intervene in the matter, adding that the president is “not involved in this illegality.”
“I therefore urge Mr President to protect the integrity of our democracy by rescuing Osun state local governments from the vice grip of those whose self-awarded tenure has lapsed,” Adeleke added.
In his comment on this news, Afolabi Sikiru Olayinka wrote, “What concern Osun governor with local government allocation?”
Emmanuel Adesina added, “Go to Ibadan courts and withdraw your case and the money will be released.”
Also, Lukmon Busari said, “The president should intervene? Why not adopt the court judgments? Nigerians are emotional blackmail.”
@OyedejiAdeleke tweeted, “Make you guys appeal February 10 appeal court judgment.”
@ifegerald012 wrote, “But why will Tinubu withhold the allocation of LG? The same thing he cried over during Obasanjo. Hypocrite.”
Horlatunji Horlaleye Oluwatosin wrote, “Had it been Adeleke is now in APShit (APC), we won’t hear nothing of such, but all power belongs to God Almighty. Where is PBAT today?”
This was also the position of @TheTownCrierNG, who tweeted, “IF he moves toAPC maybe his problems will be solved.”
Some other reactions highlighted the impact of the continued withholding of the LG funds on the development of the state.
@Tygar_onchain wrote, “Governor Adeleke is taking a strong stand. Withholding N130 billion from local governments undermines grassroots development, so demanding immediate release is crucial for transparency and service delivery.”
Also, @Emmstein162237 noted, “That’s a bug move. Local governments need their funds to function, so releasing what’s owed is crucial for services and development. Let’s see if this demand gets action quickly.”
Recall that the move to withhold the state’s LG allocations followed the local government leadership crisis that arose from the dissolution of the elective local government structures inherited by Governor Adeleke in 2022 from the immediate past administration of Adegboyega Oyetola.
In February 2025, the Osun government held elections in the 30 local councils of the state, but the exercise was marred by violence, disputes, and legal battles as the sacked LGA chairpersons elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) sought to reclaim their seats, citing a court judgement.
The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, asked Adeleke to direct the state electoral commission to halt the process and reinstate the sacked LGA chairpersons since the Court of Appeal had dismissed the judgement of the lower court that sacked them.
Adeleke, however, proceeded with the election, with the PDP winning in all the LGAs, even as the APC and Labour Party (LP) withdrew from the elections.
The APC would later ask the Federal Government to withhold the allocations, arguing that the LG election was unlawful.
The Federal Government seized the state’s local government allocations pending the resolution of the crisis, saying it would only release the funds to elected officials.
