Osun withheld LG allocations trigger fresh legal war; APC blasts Adeleke administration over confusion, blackmail and failure to respect court rulings.
The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has berated the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke, for the fresh Supreme Court suit filed against the Federal Government over the alleged seizure of local government ( LG ) allocations.
According to the APC, instead of providing good governance and respecting the rule of law, the present administration has chosen the path of “blackmail, mudslinging and reckless legal adventures” that expose its lack of capacity to run a complex state like Osun.
The party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, in a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, faulted “the way and manner the Osun State Government has been going about the issue of local government allocations from the Federal Government.”
He said the approach only underscores the government’s lack of diplomacy, poor understanding of governance, and refusal to abide by due process.
Olabisi noted with concern that the Adeleke administration had only recently withdrawn an earlier suit at the Supreme Court on the same matter, yet hurriedly returned to the apex court less than six weeks later with another case, without presenting any fresh facts.
He argued that this inconsistency clearly shows that the government has no coherent direction, adding:
“It is surprising that the same government that has a duty to respect the rule of law is the one promoting mudslinging and blackmail to bully the opposition into silence, while at the same time attempting to pressure the Federal Government and its ministers into acting contrary to the laws of the land.”
He further stressed that entrusting the future of Osun State to the current government was a costly mistake, saying the people of the state are already paying the price.
Meanwhile, IREPORT247NEWS earlier reported that the Osun State Government has intensified its legal battle over the alleged unlawful withholding of local government allocations by initiating a fresh suit at the Supreme Court against the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
In the new originating summons, the state government, represented by its Attorney-General and a team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria led by Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), is asking the Supreme Court to order the immediate release of all withheld local government funds.
The state government argued that the AGF’s action disregarded existing judicial decisions, including a Federal High Court ruling delivered in Osogbo on November 30, 2022, as well as a Court of Appeal judgment on June 13, 2025.
According to the originating summons, the Federal Government lacks constitutional authority to seize allocations meant for local governments, and such actions amount to contempt of subsisting court orders.
Among other reliefs, the state is seeking:
A declaration that the AGF has no constitutional powers to seize or withhold allocations due to the 30 local government councils in Osun.
A pronouncement that such actions are unconstitutional, unlawful, and ultra vires.
An order directing that all withheld allocations be paid directly into the accounts of the duly elected local government councils.
A perpetual injunction restraining the AGF and the Federal Government from engaging in any future seizure or suspension of council revenues.
Part of the suit reads: “The seizure, suspension, withholding and/or refusal to pay the allocations and revenues due to the constituent local government councils of the plaintiff state is unconstitutional, unlawful, wrongful, and ultra vires the powers of the defendant.”
In a supporting affidavit, Olufemi Akande Ogundun, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, insisted that the Federal Government’s actions represent “an affront to the rule of law.”
He maintained that only the Supreme Court has the jurisdiction to finally resolve the constitutional questions raised in the matter.
Ogundun cited landmark legal precedents such as A.G. Kano State v. A.G. Federation (2007) and RMAFC v. A.G. Rivers State (2023), which reinforce the principle that federal authorities are bound to respect judicial pronouncements regarding local government affairs.
READ MORE: State govt sues AGF over Osun withheld LG allocations