By [Olusegun Ogunkayode–RovroundNews]
The Osun State House of Assembly has raised a fresh alarm over what it described as an illegal disruption of local government administration and the alleged diversion of billions of naira belonging to local governments in the state, warning that it will pursue full recovery of all unlawfully disbursed funds.
Addressing a press conference at the House of Assembly Complex in Osogbo on Saturday, 1st February,2026, the lawmakers accused individuals whose elections as local government chairmen and councillors were nullified by courts of competent jurisdiction of unlawfully occupying council secretariats and interfering with local government finances long after their tenure expired on October 22, 2025.
The Assembly insisted that such individuals have no legal mandate under the Constitution or any extant law to administer local governments or access council funds, describing their continued presence in council offices as “illegal and unconstitutional.”
In a strongly worded statement, the House alleged that Mr. Gboyega Oyetola had no constitutional or statutory authority to issue directives or exercise control over local government funds in Osun State.
The lawmakers stressed that family ties to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria do not confer any legal powers over local government administration, insisting that Nigeria is governed by laws, not personal relationships.
According to the Assembly, it has received what it described as “credible information” that large sums of local government funds were allegedly disbursed under directives attributed to Mr. Oyetola. The payments listed include:
₦25 million each to 30 local government chairmen described as illegal
₦12 million each to 30 vice chairmen
₦10 million each to 332 councillors
₦130 million each to selected traditional rulers
₦13 billion allegedly paid as legal fees to private lawyers representing the affected chairmen and councillors
The House maintained that the lawyers were engaged in a private capacity and not by the local governments, insisting that the use of council funds to pay such fees amounts to a criminal act.
Even more troubling, the Assembly claimed that despite these alleged disbursements, local government workers have not been paid salaries for the past 12 months.
It listed those affected to include primary school teachers, nurses, healthcare workers, local government civil servants, retirees, and traditional rulers not favoured under the alleged arrangements, all of whom were said to have received “zero naira” during the period.
The House further alleged that plans were underway to disburse an additional ₦50 billion of local government funds for political purposes under the guise of project execution, a move it vowed to resist.
The Assembly however issued a stern warning to the United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), accusing the bank of allegedly releasing local government funds on the instructions of unauthorised persons.
Lawmakers reiterated that under Osun State laws, only duly appointed career officers such as Directors of Finance and Directors of Administration and General Services are lawful signatories to local government accounts.
They warned that any bank that releases funds on the instructions of unauthorised persons exposes itself and its officers to criminal liability, stressing that illegal disbursement of public funds constitutes fraud.
The House declared that any funds already disbursed allegedly under illegal instructions would be treated as unrecoverable gifts to the individuals involved and must not be deducted from Osun local government accounts.
The Assembly used the press conference to commend the Osun State Governor for what it described as an extraordinary sacrifice in ensuring that local government workers continued to receive salaries over the past year, despite alleged withholding of council allocations.
However, it warned that such sacrifice must not be exploited as cover for the diversion of funds meant for grassroots governance.
Placing the international community and financial regulators on notice, the House cautioned that continued alleged violations could expose involved institutions to reputational and legal consequences beyond Nigeria.
Reaffirming its resolve, the Osun State House of Assembly declared that it would defend democracy, the rule of law, and the sanctity of public funds, insisting that no individual or institution is above the law.
“This is a democracy,” the Assembly said. “The law is the law, and we will not retreat until this illegality ends and justice prevails.”
