Following the recent stoppage of Osun state Local Government Council monthly allocations by the federal Government, the Osun state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had yesterday, took on the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, describing his directive against the state as affront to the nation’s constitution.
Recall that the Federal Government, through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, had recently directed relevant stakeholders to withhold February, March, April and May allocations payable to the OSun state local government councils following the protracted battle over the control of the councils between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP.
However, reacting to the development, the PDP in the state, through a statement signed by Media Director, Oladele Bamiji, has slammed the AGF Fagbemi over what he described as gross abuse of office and high-handedness against Osun state.
According to Bamiji, the AGF’s action portrays not just a conflict of interest but also a dangerous erosion of the doctrine of separation of powers, which forbids him from usurping judicial powers not vested in him by law.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Government has dragged the Federal Government before the Supreme Court for allegedly seizing the monthly allocations accruing to the councils.
The suit, dated April 23, 2025, and filed by counsel to the Attorney General of Osun State (plaintiff), Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), has the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) as the sole defendant.
The state government sorts the Supreme Court for an order directing the Federal Government to release the seized funds and to also restrain itself from further withholding, suspending and seizing fund meant for Osun state local councils in the state, among others.
Though, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.
Accordingly, the state government has accused the AGF and the immediate past governor of the state and incumbent Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of colluding and denying the state of its councils’ allocations for three months.
The Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, has alleged that the former governor Oyetola had vowed to destabilize governance in the state.
Alimi alleged that Oyetola connived with Fagbemi to withhold the allocations of the councils.
Reacting, the leadership of the APC in the state justified the allocations’ seizure and advised members of the public to ignore the line of last resort of the ruling PDP.
APC’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, in a statement, yesterday, said “the same PDP-led government, which has denigrated the Court of Appeal judgment, is now calling for a rule of law, which has never changed, but strictly observed by the Federal Government in its doings.
