Osun APC Declares Full Control of Local Government Funds

The All Progressives Congress (APC) wing of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Osun State has declared that it is now fully in charge of all local government councils in the state, including their finances.

According to the group, there are no longer legal barriers stopping APC-backed council chairmen from operating as heads of government at the grassroots level. 

It insisted that control of council allocations and administration has shifted in its favour.

The Osun APC-led ALGON Chairman, Samuel Abiodun Idowu, made this known while speaking with members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Osun Correspondents’ Chapel, in Osogbo. 

He said the association has been reinstated and is now functioning fully across the state.

Idowu explained that residents at the grassroots should expect visible changes beginning next year. He said development programmes aimed at improving living conditions in towns and villages would soon be unveiled.

The ALGON chairman, who also serves as the reinstated Chairman of Ifedayo Local Government Area, linked the new development to a recent Supreme Court judgment. 

He stated that the ruling resolved the lingering dispute over control of local councils in Osun State.

According to him, the judgment favoured their faction and confirmed their authority over council operations. 

He disclosed that his group had already been accessing council accounts to pay salaries and has now taken full charge of statutory allocations.

Idowu assured that the councils would enjoy greater stability going forward. He added that full administrative and developmental activities across the local governments would begin in earnest in early 2026.

He also praised journalists in the state for what he described as “fair reportage” of the prolonged political disputes affecting local government administration in Osun.

The ALGON chairman commended President Bola Tinubu for championing local government autonomy. He said the policy, if properly implemented and monitored, would strengthen governance and accelerate development at the community level.

“The Supreme Court judgment has come and gone and it is six against one. Anybody bringing anything against that is just a novice. We are so much in charge of local councils in Osun and very soon, we will be rolling out programmes in the state. The grassroots is the most important stage of society and joking with that level is going to be a lot of wastage for the people.

“President Tinubu has done well by bringing this autonomy to local councils and I am sure in a few years to come, our town and villages would have improved if this autonomy can be well monitored and implemented.”

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Idowu further claimed that he has received official recognition from the national leadership of ALGON. He said he holds a letter from the association’s national office confirming him as the authentic ALGON chairman in Osun State.

He dismissed claims by other factions, declaring that “any other chairman is a counterfeit.”

The council boss also revealed that his group has approached the Federal High Court in Osogbo. He said the suit seeks a clear judicial interpretation of when the tenure of local government chairmen elected under the administration of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola would officially expire.

While awaiting the court’s decision, Idowu stated that his camp believes their tenure commenced on February 10, 2025.