Osun LG crisis: Muslim group slams League of Imams, accuses clerics of partisanship

The Concerned Muslim Stakeholders and League of Alfas in Osun State has criticised the state’s League of Imams and Alfas, led by Sheikh Musa Animasahun, accusing the clerics of partisanship in the ongoing controversy over local government funds.

The group faulted the clerics for recently urging President Bola Tinubu to release local government allocations to Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration, describing the move as “political meddling” that undermines the independence of Islamic leadership.

Speaking at a press conference in Osogbo on Tuesday, the group’s president, Khozeem AbdurRaham, said it was “highly disappointing” that clerics who claim to speak for the Muslim Ummah could “abandon their spiritual responsibilities to act as mouthpieces for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”

According to him, the League’s statement amounted to openly aligning with Adeleke’s government at the expense of Muslims across political divides.

“How could one reasonably comprehend the call of the League of Imams and Alfas directing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release local government allocations to the PDP-led Adeleke administration in Osun, against the laws of the land as pronounced by the Supreme Court in July 2024?” AbdurRaham asked.

He noted that the Supreme Court, in AGF v. AG Abia, had affirmed the financial autonomy of local governments, making it illegal for state governments to directly access or control their allocations.

“The Alfas should not be seen lending support to Governor Adeleke’s desperation to illegally collect allocations that rightly belong to the local governments,” he added.

The group commended Osun residents for “refusing to be swayed by government-sponsored propaganda” and praised President Tinubu for, in its words, standing firm on the rule of law.

“The Federal Government under President Tinubu deserves commendation for choosing the path of peace, law and order, and ignoring the pressure from lobbyists, partisan clerics, and propagandists over allocations which, in truth, were never withheld,” AbdurRaham stated.

The group urged religious leaders in the state to remain neutral and avoid being used as political instruments, warning that clerics risk eroding public trust if they continue to intervene in partisan disputes.