Osun LG Funds: Group Alleges ‘Criminal Assault On Democracy’ Over N130Billion Withheld By Tinubu Govt
The Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) has raised the alarm over what it described as the illegal hijacking of local government funds in Osun State, warning that the situation amounts to a “criminal assault on democracy” and could compel citizens to resort to self-help if urgent action is not taken.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, the group said it was “shocked, outraged, and deeply alarmed” by what it called the latest twist in the lingering Osun State local government crisis.
According to the Movement, funds released by the Federal Government for local councils in the state have allegedly been unlawfully diverted.
The statement was signed by Comrade James Ezema, Media Coordinator of the Movement for Credible Elections, on Tuesday.
The MCE alleged that court-sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) local government chairmen, acting “in blatant collusion with a former Governor of Osun State now Minister and the United Bank for Africa (UBA),” illegally hijacked the funds and redirected them to unelected politicians and party cronies.
Speaking on the matter, the head of the National Secretariat of the Movement for Credible Elections, activist Olawale Okunniyi, said the action was a clear violation of existing laws governing local government administration in Osun State.
“This audacious act violates Osun State law, which explicitly prescribes career officials as signatories to LG accounts, yet these lawful procedures have been willfully ignored and trampled upon,” Okunniyi said.
The Movement outlined what it described as dire consequences of the alleged illegal takeover of local government funds. It claimed that no local government worker in Osun State has been paid in the last 12 months by what it called “police-backed unlawful occupants” of local government secretariats, while salaries meant for workers were allegedly stolen and misappropriated.
The group further alleged that funds meant for essential public services such as schools, health centres and local infrastructure were being shared among court-sacked APC functionaries, whose tenure it said expired last October.
MCE also accused the United Bank for Africa of facilitating the alleged illegal diversion of funds. According to the statement, the bank’s actions have placed its officials “on the wrong side of the law,” adding that top executives have already been arraigned, which the group said exposed the bank’s complicity.
The statement further claimed that the Osun State Government had been forced to borrow funds to pay local government workers and sustain essential services, while the police allegedly provided protection for unelected and illegal occupants of local government offices.
Describing the situation as a grave threat to Nigeria’s democracy, the Movement warned that allowing unelected individuals to control public resources with impunity could undermine constitutional governance at the grassroots level.
Calling for urgent intervention, the MCE urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take decisive action and appealed to “all lovers of democracy in Nigeria and across the world” to step in.
“Let it be known: UBA and the former Governor have hijacked Osun LG funds, and the resources meant for local workers are being illegally shared by court-sacked chairmen,” Okunniyi said. “This is not just mismanagement—it is fraud and a deliberate assault on the foundations of democracy in Nigeria.”
The Movement warned that without prompt intervention from the Presidency, citizens across Osun State and Nigeria could be mobilized to employ every lawful means to assert their rights, demand accountability, and safeguard democracy.
There have been controversies over withholding over N130 billion worth local government funds belonging to Osun state government by Tinubu’s administration.
