A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Musibau Adetunbi, has criticized a recent Federal Government move to channel local government funds in Osun State to the All Progressives Congress (APC) state secretariat, describing the action as unconstitutional.
Adetunbi, who leads Osun State’s legal team in the ongoing dispute over local government control between the ruling PDP and APC, issued a statement on Thursday from Ibadan, calling for respect of the rule of law amid the controversy.
He condemned a directive by the Accountant-General of the Federation instructing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to send statutory allocations for Osun’s local government councils to the APC secretariat in Osogbo, instead of the recognized Ministry of Local Governments at the state secretariat in Abere, Osogbo.
The Senior Advocate urged the APC to refrain from using federal power to override judicial decisions, pointing out that the APC lost the relevant Court of Appeal case. He cited the February 10, 2025 ruling, emphasizing that the court carefully examined the legal issues before dismissing the APC’s appeal for reinstatement of its officials.
Since February, all 30 local government councils in Osun State have remained closed following violent clashes over council control, which resulted in fatalities.
In a related development, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has warned federal financial institutions and government officials against disregarding the latest Court of Appeal ruling that upholds the tenure of democratically elected local government officials in Osun.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, NULGE President-General Comrade Aliyu Kankara decried what he described as a coordinated effort to weaken local government autonomy by empowering individuals who lack constitutional authority to manage council funds.
Kankara appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene, urging him to direct the Accountant-General, the Governor of the CBN, and the Finance Minister to halt any attempts that might allow unauthorized persons to seize control of Osun’s local government finances.
