Osun CSOs Petition Tinubu, Demand Probe of Local Government Crisis, N80bn LG Funds

Three prominent civil society organisations in Osun State have jointly written an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, calling for urgent intervention in what they described as a “lingering constitutional crisis” that has paralysed local government administration in the state for eight months.

The groups —Osun Grassroot Development Initiative (OGNI), Osun Renaissance Movement (ORM), and the Osun Centre for Democracy and Good Governance (OCDG)— accused Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration of deliberately crippling local government operations by allegedly ordering LG staff to embark on an indefinite strike.

In the letter signed by Prince Mufutau Adedimeji (Chairman, OGNI), Comrade Segun Omidiora (Convener, ORM), and Pastor Mrs. Bola Ayanwumi (Coordinator, OCDG), the organisations warned that the situation posed a grave threat to democracy and called for federal intervention.

“We are of the considered opinion that the Constitution doesn’t envisage a situation where only two tiers of government will be operating, as we currently have in Osun State,” the letter read.

“The government of Sen. Ademola Adeleke has deliberately and crudely stiffened local government out of operation by illegally ordering the LG staff to embark on indefinite strike, thereby paralyzing activities in our local government for eight months!”

The groups urged President Tinubu to “legalize the state of emergency subtly declared in the LG by the Governor” and halt what they described as the “misappropriation of Osun State’s money that has become a way of life by the state government.”

According to the petitioners, the Federal Government must immediately investigate reports of financial recklessness, including the alleged use of state funds to sponsor a politically motivated pilgrimage to a shrine in Ede, the governor’s hometown.

“It is no surprise that the Governor recently approved a whopping sum of ₦678 million for rehabilitation of a shrine in Ede. Ordinarily, all these should have attracted impeachment procedures supposing we have a functional state House of Assembly,” the groups alleged.

The letter also demanded that the Federal Government begin deducting the “over ₦80 billion local government funds illegally received by the Osun State Government,” citing a pending suit at the Supreme Court referenced by the Attorney General of the Federation.

The coalition further called for the reinstated local government chairmen to take the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to the National Industrial Court “for their reckless and unprofessional behaviour of conniving with the state government,” an act they said brought an entire tier of government to a halt.

“Our recommendations were made after careful consideration of all issues without sentiment so as to safeguard democracy and the rule of law,” the signatories said, urging President Tinubu to act swiftly to rescue Osun’s local government system and prevent further collapse.