ADC group, APC bicker over Osun LG fund release

By Shina Abubakar, Osogbo

A caucus with the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Osun State, the Omoluabi Progressives, has described the release of the state’s local government allocation to All Progressives Congress, APC-elected council chairman as a desecration of the Nigerian constitution.

This as the APC disclosed that the group is only seeking public attention, commenting on an issue that is belated and need to do better by keeping itself abreast of events in the state.

The caucus Chairman, Mr Azeez Adesiji, while briefing newsmen at the Oranmiyan House in Osogbo on Monday stressed the need for civil society and stakeholders to hold the Federal Government accountable for releasing the withheld local government allocation to APC Chairmen, saying the APC officials in the face of law are illegal occupants of the council secretariats.

He also warned that the “illegal” APC Chairmen must not touch the money paid into their illegal accounts, saying the struggle for local government autonomy must not be perverted into an APC scheme for political capture and financial looting.

His words, “The YES OR NO ILLEGAL CHAIRMEN must not touch the money paid into their illegal accounts. Doing so is criminal and it will be revisited now or later.

“Local government funds must be released to legitimate and constitutional authorities. By any accounting procedure, government allocation cannot be paid directly or indirectly into any government functionary’s account. Doing so would amount to an egregious violation of financial regulation which the ICPC should address with the required urgency.

“The federal government must stop treating Osun people’s resources as the APCs political war chest.

“All professional and democratic forces—NBA, NLC, civil society, labour unions, opposition parties, and the international community must come together to resist this creeping authoritarianism”.

However, Osun APC’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi described the caucus as a mere meddlesome interloper whose interest can easily be decipher by the public.

“Apart from the fact that the tirade of the so-called Omoluabi Progressives is belated, there couldn’t have been any need for it beyond mere attention-seeking as it is through such means that they could be considered heard and published by the press.

“It would not be difficult to observe the displayed sentiment of the so-called Omoluabi Progressives on the belated issue at stake as its handlers deliberately chose to be blind to the 10th February, 2025 Court of Appeal judgement which expressly reinstated the APC local government council chairmen and councillors.

“If we may ask, who conferred the status of the interpreter of either the law or court judgement on the busy-body members and leaders of the questionable Omoluabi Progressives?

“It is visible to the blind, audible to the deaf and tangible to the morons that the Appeal Court judgement of the 10th of February, 2025 which allowed all the reliefs sought reinstated the APC council chairmen and councillors which made them the constitutionally elected council officers in the face of the law.

“No fabricated or concocted side talks can take the due place of the said Court of Appeal judgement which was not challenged in the Supreme Court”, he said.

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