The Osun State Government has renewed its appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order the immediate release of the state’s withheld local government allocations, insisting there is “no legal or political basis” for their continued seizure.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the government said the June 13, 2025, Court of Appeal ruling had validated the February 22 local government elections, which produced the current chairmen and councillors. It maintained that no judicial order exists to justify the withholding of the funds.

The state welcomed the intervention of traditional rulers and other leaders of thought, saying their efforts could help end the hardship the seizure has caused grassroots communities.

“We are aware that the Federal Government and indeed the Presidency have all the facts of the situation concerning Osun Local Governments and the reality remains that the court judgement sacking the APC Yes/No election Chairmen and Councilors remains valid and was recently validated by the 13th June judgement of the Court of Appeal,” Alimi stated. “As a matter of fact, there should not be any further controversy after the appeal court judgement recognizing the elected chairmen and councillors who are products of the 22nd February, 2025, Local Government elections.”

Alimi argued that even if the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy were applied, the allocations should still be managed by the duly elected officials of the February 22, 2025, elections, in line with the law passed by the State Assembly under Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The statement alleged that President Tinubu was unaware of the fund seizure until reading a Nigerian Tribune front-page report during the recent Eid holiday. According to the government, the Attorney-General of the Federation ordered the Accountant General of the Federation to withhold the funds without presidential approval.

The Osun government said it supports the plan by the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers to meet with the President on the matter, describing the local government crisis as “beyond politics.”

“As a government, we learnt that those who masterminded the fund seizure were targeting Governor Ademola Adeleke but the real victims are the people of Osun state who are well at home with good governance delivery across Osun state,” Alimi added. “The attack on the state Governor has failed and we urge those behind the illegal move to abandon the anti-people path and release Osun local government funds without further delay.”