Adeleke to Osun APC chairmen: your tenure expired in 2025

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has once again condemned the continued occupation of council secretariats by All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen, insisting their self-awarded tenure expired on October 22, 2025, and cannot be extended under the constitution or Supreme Court precedents.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, the governor stressed that while he respects local government autonomy, it does not justify unelected APC chairmen with expired mandates controlling council secretariats and handling public funds in breach of state laws.

“Local government autonomy is not equal to unjustifiable seizure of local governments’ funds meant to pay local health workers, teachers and pensioners. I have been paying these local workers because local autonomy does not mean imposing avoidable hardship on the people,” Adeleke said, responding to the state APC.

The governor reiterated his earlier position that those forcefully occupying local government offices have no mandate and should immediately vacate the secretariats.

He also addressed the opposition’s reaction to the state broadcast, insisting that the self-awarded tenure, which he described as illegal, ended last year and cannot be extended under any legal authority.

“If truly we are in a democracy, unelected people cannot lay claim to local governments and tamper with public funds. In a practical democracy, you cannot elongate your tenure for a day without being arrested and jailed,” Adeleke said.

“In a democracy, the police authority will not provide cover for unelected individuals with expired self-awarded tenure to occupy councils. The mere fact that these APC officials admitted their tenure lapsed and went to court for elongation should be enough for the police to withdraw cover and allow validly elected local government chairmen to assume office.

“If you admitted your tenure has lapsed, what are you still doing at the local councils? If you went to court to seek tenure elongation, why must you still occupy the councils when the case has not even been heard?

“The fact that you filed a case does not mean your tenure has been extended. And your tenure cannot be extended because the constitution does not allow it. Osun APC are engaging in severe, criminal breach of the law and the constitution.”

Adeleke also accused the United Bank for Africa (UBA) of violating state laws by allowing APC officials without valid mandates to open local government accounts and access public funds.

“In a law-abiding society, a reputable international bank like UBA would not violate state laws on the opening of local government accounts. But here we are. The bank broke the law, which clearly stipulates career officials as signatories to state accounts. Instead, it is colluding with APC men without mandates to open accounts and access public funds. This is criminal conduct that is before the court,” the governor said.

Adeleke added that the alleged illegality must end and disclosed that the state has reached out to the Presidency over the issue.

“The name of Mr President is being used without his knowledge to perpetrate illegality and impunity in Osun state. Inflicting suffering on local workers is not politics; it is man’s inhumanity to fellow human beings. This must stop,” he said.

The governor appealed to supporters of the president and lovers of democracy worldwide to protect democratic practices from those he said were bent on undermining them.