By Peace Udugba
The Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, has alleged that local government allocations meant for the state are being paid directly into accounts operated by council officials backed by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Alimi made the allegation on Thursday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, less than 48 hours before the Osun State governorship election.
The commissioner also claimed that the Adeleke administration has been shouldering about N6.5 billion in local government salary obligations every month as a result of the prolonged dispute over local government administration and funding in the state.
Alimi accused the Federal Government and officials of some federal institutions of interfering in the local government funding dispute.
According to him, officials of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Finance facilitated the opening of separate accounts for council officials backed by the APC.
“What is happening in Osun is an aberration. The office of the Accountant-General, in collusion with the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Finance, all colluded together, and asked the APC to go and open an account for the federal local government in UBA.”
The allegations come amid a prolonged dispute over the administration and funding of local governments in Osun State.
The state government has previously maintained that local government funds have been withheld, while APC-aligned council officials and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) have blamed the impasse on legal actions by the Adeleke administration.
Alimi, however, insisted that the state government would continue to meet its obligations despite the financial pressure.
He alleged that the disputed accounts were being operated by council officials he described as “yes/no chairmen”, whom he claimed were selected by the APC.
“Those people, they usually call yes/no chairman, that the APC selected among themselves are the signatory to all the accounts they opened and they are spending money,” he alleged.
The commissioner also challenged the claim that the disputed allocations were being paid into the state’s joint account, insisting that Osun was being treated differently from other states.
“They are still paying the money to the joint account but in Osun, it is not only that they are paying them to illegal set of people, they are paying them to APC.”
Alimi argued that the arrangement violated what he described as the normal procedure for operating public accounts, noting that elected political office holders are generally not signatories to government accounts.
“Similarly, all over the country, all ministers, all commissioners, all local government chairmen are not signatory to any account of their respective agency,” he said.
He further alleged that local government allocations to Osun were not being paid into the state’s joint account.
Dispute Before the Courts
Alimi said the state government had repeatedly challenged the arrangement in court, adding that the dispute had reached the Supreme Court.
According to him, the state initially approached the Supreme Court but was directed to commence the matter at the Federal High Court because of the nature of the dispute.
He alleged that while the case was progressing through the courts, the disputed allocations continued to be paid into accounts operated by the APC-backed council officials.
The commissioner also questioned what he described as the different treatment of Osun in the implementation of the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment on local government autonomy.
“Despite the July judgment of 2024 Supreme Court on autonomy, the Federal Government has not started implementation in any other state, in every state of the federation. The issue is, why is that of the Osun different?” he asked.
N6.5bn Monthly Burden
Alimi further claimed that the local government funding dispute had imposed a monthly financial burden of about N6.5 billion on the Adeleke administration.
He explained that local governments in the state were responsible for the payment of primary school teachers, local government health workers, local government employees and certain categories of pensioners and traditional rulers.
“The salary implication of responsibility of a local government in Osun as at today, based on the minimum wage that we have paid is N6.5 billion,” he said.
The commissioner alleged that the state government had been carrying the additional burden since February 2025.
“Since the allocation has been paid to the APC, he refused to pay the workers,” Alimi said, referring to the APC-backed council structure.
He said the state government had consequently been using its own resources to meet the obligations, describing the expenditure as a “bailout”.
According to him, Osun’s average monthly allocation was between N11 billion and N12 billion, while the state’s own monthly salary obligation was about N8 billion.
Alimi said that under normal circumstances, funds remaining after salaries, allowances and running costs would be available for developmental projects.
“After the payment of salaries and allowances and running cost, whatever remains will now be used for developmental projects. But from February, the state will still have to carry the burden of about N6.5 billion,” he said.
The commissioner claimed that the state had spent about N100 billion of its own resources to cushion the financial impact, while alleging that the overall financial exposure connected with the dispute was approaching N300 billion.
“They know that immediately Adeleke wins, all their delay in the cases will be removed, and at the end of the day, they will have to answer for almost N300 billion,” he alleged.
He added that the state-owned component of the funds used to cushion the financial burden was “about N100 billion now”.
Allegations of Mismanagement
Alimi also accused the APC-backed council officials of alleged mismanagement of funds.
He claimed that some of the money had been used to purchase vehicles for the police, allegedly as part of efforts to justify the expenditure.
“The only thing they did was that in order to justify the payment, the money they are sharing among themselves, they bought vehicles for the police in the name of they wanted to curb the insecurity,” he alleged.
The commissioner further alleged that the local government crisis was part of broader measures aimed at weakening the Adeleke administration ahead of Saturday’s election.
He claimed that those behind the dispute expected the state government to become unable to meet its salary obligations, leading to industrial action and public dissatisfaction.
“They thought, by the time they took that test, that three or four months, the government will collapse. The government will not be able to meet the salary obligations, the worker will go on strike, and then it will be very easy for them,” he said.
Alimi also cited other incidents, including disputes over billboards, alleged sporadic shootings and the motor park controversy, as part of what he described as attempts to create tension ahead of the election.
Call for Voters to Resist Intimidation
The commissioner urged voters to resist intimidation and participate in the election.
“We will refuse to be intimidated. Our people will stand by their vote, will come out to vote and will stand by their vote and we are going to defeat them,” Alimi said.
He also alleged that the APC-backed council officials had remained in office beyond the tenure they originally claimed.
According to him, their tenure, based on their October 2022 inauguration, should have ended in October 2025. He said the officials had, however, appealed a court judgment ordering them to vacate office.
Alimi alleged that the prolonged judicial process had allowed the disputed local government arrangement to continue.
“They have lost that one at the Federal High Court. They are now at the Court of Appeal. Now, imagine a governor that his tenure is about to end now files a case, and losing at the Federal High Court, and now said he has appeal, and because he has appeal, he has to continue to govern the state.”
The commissioner maintained that the local government dispute remained politically significant because of its financial implications for Osun State.
