Abuja — President Bola Tinubu has ignored repeated pleas from Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, for the release of withheld local government allocations, despite the governor’s overtures and political endorsement of the president’s 2027 reelection bid.
Sources told SaharaReporters that during Adeleke’s visit to the Aso Rock Villa in June, Tinubu acknowledged awareness of Adeleke’s removal of local government chairmen, a move believed to be at the root of the federal government’s decision to suspend Osun’s LG funds. Adeleke reportedly denied the claim but pressed for the release of allocations.
Documents reviewed by SaharaReporters show that ₦46.9 billion remains withheld. The state was supposed to receive ₦11.9 billion in March, ₦11.2 billion in April, ₦11.7 billion in May, and ₦12.1 billion in June. Despite the governor’s pleas and even submitting a recent court ruling, the Presidency has not responded.
The Osun APC has countered Adeleke’s claims, dismissing them as “misinformation.” It accused the governor of orchestrating the six-month strike by the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and of illegally withdrawing ₦84 billion in council funds, contrary to a July 2024 Supreme Court ruling on LG autonomy.
Meanwhile, Adeleke’s administration insists it acted within the law by conducting local government elections in February 2025. In June, the Court of Appeal in Akure upheld the PDP’s victory in that election, ruling that the APC’s challenge lacked merit and was overtaken by events.
Despite these legal wins, Adeleke’s efforts to unlock federal allocations remain stalled, with sources confirming that “no one from the Presidency has contacted the Osun State government.”
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