The Osun State Government has strongly refuted allegations that it is coercing career officers in local governments to change the signatories to council accounts. The claims were made by Adewale Adebayo, the Chairman of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), who alleged that the government, under Governor Ademola Adeleke, was pressuring Finance Directors and Heads of Local Administration (HLAs) to alter the signatories to council accounts in favor of newly elected officials.
Adebayo further alleged that these officers were being taken to an undisclosed location and held against their will, which he said undermines democracy and the rule of law, especially in light of judicial rulings upholding the local government elections held in October 2022.
In response, Kolapo Alimi, Osun State’s Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, dismissed these allegations as “mere speculation” and a false narrative. He emphasized that no such directive had been given by the government, and no council account signatories had been changed. Alimi accused the APM of trying to create a baseless controversy and discredit the state’s government.
Meanwhile, the APC in Osun has urged local government workers to resume their duties, emphasizing neutrality in the political struggle over council control. Jamiu Olawumi, a former Special Adviser on Education, stressed that the reinstated local government chairmen had issued a 72-hour ultimatum for workers to return to work. However, the Osun chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) rejected the ultimatum, citing concerns over worker safety.
The political tussle in Osun over local government control continues to intensify as various parties, including the NLC, voice their concerns over the ongoing crisis.
