The crisis over local government control in Osun State deepened on Wednesday as Governor Ademola Adeleke, the state government and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejected claims by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that its former council chairmen are still legally in office. The governor and the PDP insisted that the tenure of the APC chairmen ended in 2025 and cannot be extended under the law, accusing former governor and current Blue Economy Minister, Adegboyega Oyetola, of fueling the dispute.

Governor Adeleke, through his spokesperson Olawale Rasheed, said Oyetola remained the “chief architect” of the local government crisis, questioning the authority under which APC-aligned officials were handling council funds. He accused them of deciding who gets paid salaries and alleged that health workers, teachers and retirees were being denied their entitlements. The governor also warned against dragging President Bola Tinubu into the controversy, urging respect for legal processes.

The Osun State Government added that a suit filed by the APC over council tenure was adjourned at the Federal High Court in Osogbo after the party’s lawyers failed to appear. Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, said the 2022 council election was earlier nullified for violating the Electoral Act and that no court judgment had reinstated the APC chairmen. The PDP echoed this position, stressing that Adeleke did not sack any council officials but merely acted in line with court rulings to protect public funds pending final resolution.

In response, Oyetola’s media aide, Dr Bolaji Akinola, accused Governor Adeleke of spreading misinformation to hide administrative failures. He claimed a Court of Appeal judgment in February 2025 reinstated the APC chairmen and argued that the state government never appealed the ruling. Akinola insisted local councils were functioning and warned the governor against interfering in local government autonomy, as the legal battle over tenure continues in court.