‘You Cannot Elongate Your Tenure Without Being Arrested, Jailed’ – Adeleke Fires Back At APC Chairmen

The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has slammed the All Progressives Congress (APC) local government chairmen over the current illegality across the state.

Naijaonpoint reports that Adeleke, in a statement through his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, insisted that the tenure of APC Chairmen elapsed on October 22, 2025 and cannot be elongated under the constitution and precedents set by Supreme Court rulings.

The Governor also posited that while he respects local government autonomy, that does not translate to unelected APC chairmen with expired self-awarded tenure hijacking council secretariats and illegally handling public funds in contravention of state laws.

According to Adeleke, in an efficient democracy, the chairman cannot elongate their tenure for a day without being arrested and jailed, questioning under what mandate or authority the politicians are holding onto the councils.

The Governor further revealed plans to meet with President Bola Tinubu, adding that his name is being used without his knowledge, to perpetrate illegality and impunity in Osun state.

The statement read, “Local government autonomy is not equal to unjustifiable seizure of local governments funds which are meant to pay local health workers, local teachers and local pensioners. I have been paying these local workers because local autonomy does not mean imposing avoidable hardship on the people.

“The self awarded tenure which was an illegality in the first place came to an end last year. If truly we are in a democracy, unelected people cannot lay claim to local governments and even be tampering with public funds. In a truly practical democracy, you cannot elongate your tenure for a day without being arrested and jailed.

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

“If you admitted that your tenure has lapsed, what are you still doing at the local councils? If you had gone 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 file a case does not mean you have your tenure elongated. And your tenure cannot even be elongated because the constitution did not allow it. Osun APC are engaging in severe, criminal breach of the law and the constitution.

“In a law-abiding society, a reputable international bank like the UBA will not be violating state laws on the opening of local governments accounts. But here we are. The UBA broke the law which clearly spelt out career officials as signatories to state accounts. The bank instead is colluding with APC men without mandates to open accounts and even deep hands into public funds. This is a criminal conduct that is before the court.

“As the Governor of Osun state, I affirm that this illegality must stop. We have reached out to the Presidency. 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. That is my message to all true lovers and supporters of Mr President. That is my clarion call to all lovers of democracy worldwide. We must protect democratic practices from those hellbent on truncating it.”