Dr Bolaji Akinola, Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, has dismissed allegations by Gov. Ademola Adeleke of Osun over local government funding in the state.
Adeleke had accused his predecessor, now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, of using federal institutions to undermine governance in the state.
The allegation was contained in a state broadcast posted on the governor’s official X handle on Monday.
Adeleke alleged that court-sacked APC chairmen and councillors were illegally occupying local government secretariats.
He further claimed that statutory allocations to Osun local governments had been withheld since Feb. 2025, implicating Oyetola in the development.
But Akinola in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos, said the accusations amounted to “propaganda, falsehood, and deliberate misinformation.”
He the allegations were intended “to divert attention from unresolved legal challenges.”
Akinola said that if there was any delay or complication in financial disbursements, the responsibility lay with the Osun government.
He stated that the government instituted multiple court actions affecting council administration.
Akinola said the lawsuits had complicated financial processes linked to the councils.
“No serious government sabotages its own legal standing and then seeks scapegoats for the consequences,” he said.
He denied claims that Oyetola influenced local government finances, adding that the minister had no role whatsoever in local government fund disbursements.
Akinola also dismissed allegations of police interference.
“The Nigeria Police operate under established institutional command structures and cannot be privately controlled.
“The local government secretariats across the state are open and functional.
“Workers are back at their posts, and councils are carrying out their statutory responsibilities,” he said.
Referencing the Court of Appeal judgment of Feb. 10, 2025, Akinola said the APC chairmen were reinstated by the court.
Akinola said the judgment was not appealed and therefore “remains final and binding.”
He said the reinstated officials were elected for a three-year tenure, adding that any disagreement on tenure is presently before the courts.
Akinola, who also cited the Supreme Court judgment of July 11, 2024, said the ruling granted financial autonomy to local governments nationwide.
“The councils are autonomous, lawful, and operational.
“Governance is not theatre, and the people of Osun deserve facts, not fiction,” he said.
