Local government chairmen in Osun State under the platform of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) have warned the Osun State House of Assembly to refrain from interfering in council affairs, insisting that local governments are constitutionally empowered to manage their finances and operations. The chairmen accused the Assembly and the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke of attempting to undermine local government autonomy as affirmed by the Supreme Court.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) State Secretariat in Osogbo, the Osun ALGON Chairman, Samuel Idowu Abiodun, said the Assembly had no authority to revisit matters already settled by the Supreme Court, particularly the July 2024 judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments. He dismissed claims by the Assembly that council funds were diverted, describing the allegations as false and politically motivated.
Abiodun alleged that the Adeleke administration had deliberately frustrated grassroots governance by filing more than 14 lawsuits, including appeals to the Supreme Court, in a bid to cripple local government operations. He said the crisis worsened after the state government allegedly failed in efforts to impose Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members following the February 22, 2025 local government elections, despite existing court rulings affirming council autonomy.
He further accused the state government of instigating local government workers to abandon their duties for several months, an action he said stalled governance at the grassroots. According to him, councils later opened bank accounts through due process to prevent administrative collapse, adding that the move followed legal procedures and took several months to complete with the cooperation of financial institutions.
The ALGON chairman criticised the House of Assembly for passing a law in December 2025, which he claimed was aimed at weakening the impact of Supreme Court decisions on council funding. He warned that local government chairmen would continue to resist any attempt by the state government or the Assembly to undermine constitutionally guaranteed autonomy, insisting that no illegality has occurred at the council level.