Osogbo: On Thursday, the Osun House of Assembly called on the Federal Government to release the withheld monthly allocations due to the local government areas in the state through the subsisting council accounts.
The assembly made the call during its plenary on Thursday in Osogbo, when it deliberated on an issue of public importance.
The matter was brought up by a lawmaker, Adewumi Adeyemi (Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-Obokun Constituency)
Adeyemi said the continued occupation of the local government secretariats by the chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the withdrawal of services by workers had rendered the council secretariats ineffective.
The lawmaker said that the APC chairmen, who the Federal High Court in Osogbo sacked, were trying to obtain local government allocations illegally.
Similarly, Lawrence Adeoti (PDP-Ife South Constituency) described the state’s local government crisis as worrisome.
Adeoti said that the APC chairmen took over the local government despite the Federal High Court in Osogbo nullifying their elections and withdrawing their Certificate of Return.
After extensive deliberation, the lawmakers passed resolutions which the speaker, Mr Wale Egbedun, read and unanimously adopted by the lawmakers.
One resolution stated, “Only the Feb. 22 democratically elected local government chairmen and councillors were constitutionally recognised custodians of local government mandate and affairs in the state.”
The assembly also resolved that “No parallel structures or appointment by unauthorised individuals would be known or recognised for the alteration of local government accounts in the state.”
“Only duly elected career officers are authorised signatories to the council’s account, as stipulated in section 14.0 on the 2025 guidelines for administering local government areas in Osun State.
“The bank, confirmation and schedule shall only be valid when endorsed by the head of local government administration as the chairman, as further required by law.
“That any attempt to substitute these officers with unauthorised persons is not only unlawful but constitutes an attempt to divert public funds, and this house shall take all lawful measures to resist, report, and revert such infraction,” the resolutions read.
The speaker, thereafter, ordered that the resolutions be forwarded to President Bola Tinubu, Gov. Ademola Adeleke of Osun, the National Assembly, and the Accountant-General of the Federation, among others.
The state’s local government areas were in crisis following the Feb. 10 judgement by the Court of Appeal, Akure.
PDP claimed that the judgment did not reinstate the sacked APC chairmen and councillors elected in 2022, while the APC insisted on their return to office.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) then directed local government workers to withdraw their services from Feb. 17, citing security concerns.
