Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state have exchanged conflicting statements over the tenure and presence of local government council officials at council secretariats.
The dispute centres on whether APC‑affiliated council chairmen and councillors are legally in office.
Tension over local government administration in Osun State has persisted since disputes began over the legitimacy of council executives following elections and court rulings.
Relations between the state government and APC officials at the grassroots level have fluctuated as both sides make divergent legal claims about tenure and occupancy of council secretariats.
The disagreement involves the status of reinstated APC local government chairmen and councillors whose tenure has been contested by the state government, which argues their time in office has ended.
The APC, through its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, said Governor Adeleke’s public statements on the issue were misleading. The party alleged that the governor’s broadcast contained “falsehoods” about the tenure and occupancy of APC council officials at the local government secretariats.
Olabisi asserted that the reinstated APC chairmen and councillors have lawfully occupied council secretariats since a Court of Appeal judgment on February 10, 2025, which restored them to office. He said there was no evidence of an appeal to overturn that judgment, and that claims about tenure elongation were inaccurate.
The APC official also said that part of the legal dispute before the Federal High Court relates to determining the length of tenure for the reinstated council executives and the legality of another election during their tenure.
In response, Governor Adeleke said the tenure of the reinstated APC local government officials had expired in October 2025. He described their continued presence at council secretariats as unlawful and criticised alleged involvement of security personnel in supporting that presence.
Adeleke said in a democracy, unelected or expired officeholders should not control councils or handle public funds. He argued that seeking judicial extension of tenure did not equate to legal continuation in office.
The public exchange underscores ongoing legal and political disagreements over grassroots governance in Osun State. Conflicting interpretations of court rulings and tenure expiry have deepened divisions between the state government and the APC, potentially affecting local service delivery and administrative stability.
The dispute may also influence public confidence in local governance and the effectiveness of judicial processes to resolve tenure controversies.
Continued tensions could lead to further legal challenges or require intervention from higher courts to determine the rightful occupants of local government offices.
Governor Ademola Adeleke and the Osun APC have traded accusations regarding the legality of local government council tenures and occupancy of council secretariats.
Both sides have based their positions on different interpretations of court decisions and constitutional principles. The matter remains part of a broader legal and political dispute over local governance in the state.
