Stakeholders Fault Adeleke Over Osun LG Crisis, Urge Traditional Rulers to Exercise Caution

Concerned Muslim stakeholders and the League of Alfas in Osun State have attributed the ongoing crisis in local government administration to Governor Ademola Adeleke. The group, addressing journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Osogbo on Tuesday, criticised the involvement of pressure groups, traditional rulers, and religious leaders in the protracted dispute.

The crisis, which has led to the withholding of federal allocations to the state’s local government councils since February, stems from a leadership tussle between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement jointly signed by Sheikh Khozeem AbdulRaham, President, and Mallam AbdulGaniyy Sahid Esra, Secretary-General, the group accused Governor Adeleke of pressuring President Bola Tinubu to circumvent the rule of law by releasing the withheld allocations to council officials elected under the PDP.

The group also called for an investigation into the Osun State leadership of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) over their role in the local government conflict.

Advising traditional rulers to exercise caution, the statement said: “Traditional rulers should conduct thorough investigations before making public statements, to ensure a balanced position and avoid public embarrassment.”

The statement added: “Governor Adeleke’s appeal to the President for the release of local government allocations undermines pending court judgments, including the Supreme Court ruling delivered in July 2024. It is also contrary to the outcome of the February 22, 2025 local government elections.”

The group expressed concern over the participation of the League of Imams and Alfas, accusing them of acting as a “religious mouthpiece” for the Adeleke-led PDP to the detriment of Muslims in other political parties.

They further urged the governor to abandon what they described as “deceit, dishonesty, misleading information, and propaganda” in managing the state’s affairs.

“Governor Adeleke should dissociate himself from misleading claims regarding local government allocations or risk being perceived as governing with deceit and misinformation,” the statement concluded.