Osun Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has called on the Inspector-General of Police to order the immediate withdrawal of security personnel attached to local government secretariats currently occupied by officials he described as sacked All Progressives Congress APC chairmen.
The governor made the appeal on Monday while addressing journalists on recent political and legal developments in the state, particularly the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo on the lingering local government leadership crisis.
According to Adeleke, the court dismissed a suit seeking tenure elongation for local government chairmen elected during the administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, thereby reaffirming constitutional provisions governing the tenure of elected local government officials.
He said the judgment established that the claimants lacked the legal standing to institute the action and further confirmed that their tenure had expired in October 2025.
“The court has once again affirmed the constitutional position that there is no room for tenure elongation. The judgment also established that the claimants lacked the locus standi to approach the court,” the governor stated.
Adeleke maintained that the ruling effectively extinguished any legal basis for the continued occupation of council secretariats by the affected APC chairmen.
Consequently, he urged the Inspector-General of Police and the Osun State Commissioner of Police to direct the withdrawal of security personnel attached to the council secretariats and facilitate the restoration of officials recognised under the law.
The governor argued that law enforcement agencies should not be seen as aiding what he described as an unlawful occupation of local government facilities.
In a related development, Adeleke called on the United Bank for Africa UBA to ensure that all local government allocations and funds remain protected and accessible only to duly recognised signatories.
He recalled that the bank had previously assured the state government through a sworn affidavit that local government funds under dispute remained secure and untouched.
According to him, the financial institution must uphold its commitment by ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of the funds pending the resolution of all outstanding issues.
The governor stressed that local government resources are critical for governance and service delivery at the grassroots level, including the payment of workers’ salaries, pensions, and other statutory obligations.
He warned that every kobo belonging to the local governments must be properly accounted for, insisting that the funds should not be subjected to unauthorised withdrawals or misuse.
Adeleke reiterated his administration’s commitment to the rule of law and expressed confidence that relevant institutions would act in accordance with the latest court pronouncement to restore normalcy to local government administration across the state.