The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has lamented that the administration of President Bola Tinubu has not been fair to his state despite the existing collaboration between the state and the Federal Government.
Adeleke specifically alleged that the Federal Government had been withholding Local Government funds belonging to Osun State despite a subsisting court order.
Speaking on Thursday at a two-day South-West Stakeholders’ Dialogue held in Akure, the Ondo State capital, themed ‘Strengthening democracy through dialogue: Assessing progress, charting the future’, the governor, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Kola Adewusi, urged the Federal Government to release the state’s local government funds in the spirit of justice and fairness.
He said, ‘A troubling dimension was introduced earlier this year when the rule of law was replaced with the rule of the thumb. The issue here relates to the handling of state security and local government matters. It is trite in every democratic order that the rule of law within the ambit of the constitution is the regulatory framework for wielding state power.
‘In the case of Osun, federal power is being applied outside the regulation of the constitution, as the public has known since the beginning of this year. The politicisation of federal power poses serious threats to peaceful and productive intergovernmental relations.
‘It would interest the audience to know that in Osun State, some security agencies openly protect and defend ruling party operatives, even when they act contrary to the law and the constitution.
In Osun today, federal party officials boast of powers to deploy security apparatus to witch-hunt state officials. On many occasions, officials of the federal ruling party have openly declared their readiness to hijack the state, whether the people voted for them or not — and, worse still, they enjoy security cover while making such provocative declarations.
‘As if that is not enough, Osun’s local government funds were seized without any court order earlier this year. Duly elected local government officials were not allowed to assume office, while those sacked by a subsisting court order were forced on the local government secretariats by federal power and security apparatus. All these facts are in the public domain’.
Adeleke, who noted that the development of the South-West should not be determined by partisan politics, said the Federal Government, led by a Yoruba man, had continued to sideline his state in the scheme of things.
He said, ‘Our olive branch to enhance collaboration is clouded by political partisanship actively promoted by operatives of the ruling political party at the centre. We have discovered over time that partisan consideration has become the yardstick for federal interactions with Osun State — a development that threatens to fracture intergovernmental relations’.
Calling for greater collaboration among South-West states, Adeleke said the region must move beyond partisan divides and prioritise development. He commended the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission for its efforts in fostering regional cooperation.
‘It is our position that the South-West must elevate power application beyond partisan considerations. There must be a strategic outlook that places the development of the region as a priority, irrespective of the governing parties at the sub-national level.
‘We must embark on the development of a circular cargo railway project for the South-West in partnership with the Federal Government’, he added.
