The Osun State House of Assembly has threatened litigation against the Accountant General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria if the state’s Local Government allocation is paid into unauthorised accounts.
It would be recalled that the local government allocation in Osun has been withheld over the ongoing imbroglio over control of local government council between the APC and PDP elected council officials which led to the closure of council secretariats since February this year.
However, the State Government through the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dosu Babatunde, as well as the President, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employee, NULGE, Osun chapter, Dr Kehinde Ogungbangbe alleged that the AGF office and the CBN have perfected plot to release the withheld funds to APC elected council officials against the provision of the law.
Reading out the resolution of the Assembly after exhaustive deliberation of the matter on Thursday, the Speaker, Mr Wale Egbedun tasked the AGF and the Minister of Finance to instruct the CBN to release all outstanding allocation and to the authorise accounts, adding that doing otherwise would amount to diversion of the fund.
According to him, the House affirms that, by law, only duly appointed career officers namely, the Director of Finance and the Director of Administration and General Services are authorised signatories to Local Government accounts, as stipulated in Section 14.0 of the 2025 Guidelines for the Administration of Local Government Areas in Osun State. The Bank Confirmation and Schedule shall only be valid when endorsed by the Head of Local Government Administration and the Chairman, as further required by law.;
“That any attempt to substitute these officers with unauthorised persons is not only unlawful but constitutes an attempt to divert public funds, and this House shall take all lawful measures to resist, report, and reverse such infractions.
“This Honourable House expresses grave concern over the non-release of Local Government statutory allocations in Osun State and calls on the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Honourable Minister of Finance to immediately release all outstanding allocations through the lawful Local Government Accounts;
This Honourable House strongly condemns any attempt by unauthorised persons to approach the Central Bank of Nigeria for any transaction relating to Local Government Funds, which constitutes a breach of constitutional and statutory financial architecture; and
“This Honourable House pledges to enforce the aforementioned resolutions by legal, legislative and constitutional means, including litigation, to protect the integrity of local government funds and the proper implementation of local government financial autonomy”
He also added that by law, only the democratically elected local government council officials through the February 2025 election remained the legitimate and constitutionally recognised custodians of local government mandate and affairs; as the judgement of the Federal High Court nullifying the election held on October 15, 2022 is still in force.