‘They’re withholding it because I belong to another party,’ Adeleke speaks on withheld Osun LG funds
Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke has accused the federal government of marginalising his administration for political reasons.
The state and the federal government have been locked in a dispute over the allocation and control of local government funds, with Osun alleging that the withholding of its share has disrupted operations and service delivery at the grassroots.
Speaking at a two-day southwest summit on democracy and federalism in Ondo, Adeleke—represented by his deputy, Kola Adeusi—claimed that federal authorities are deliberately undermining his administration because it belongs to a different political party from the ruling party at the centre.
He described Osun as a “case study in how not to treat a sub-national entity in a democratic setting,” accusing the federal government of engaging in a “wilful breach of the constitution” and the “politicisation of federal power.”
“There is an ongoing wilful breach of the constitution to deprive a sub-national entity of its due rights simply because it does not belong to the same party with the ruling party at the centre,” Adeleke said.
According to him, since assuming office in 2022, his administration has maintained open communication with federal agencies and actively participated in national programmes. However, he alleged that partisan interests have replaced cooperation, with federal projects being channelled through party structures instead of the Osun State government.
Adeleke further accused political figures at the centre of blocking efforts to rehabilitate federal roads and revive abandoned projects in the state. He also alleged that federal security agencies have been shielding ruling party members who flout the law, while intimidating state officials.
“In Osun today, federal party officials boast of powers to deploy security apparatus to witch-hunt state officials,” he said. “Worst still, they have security cover when making such provocative declarations.”
Despite these obstacles, Adeleke stated that his administration has recorded progress in education, health, debt management, and infrastructure, noting that Osun now leads the southwest in access to primary healthcare and has reduced its debt profile by over 40%.
He called on regional leaders to rise above politics and unite for the development of the southwest, proposing initiatives like a South-West Circular Cargo railway, dry ports, and a stronger Amotekun network.
“The south-west must elevate power applications beyond partisan considerations. We must never deploy federal power against ourselves no matter our political differences,” he added.