NBA Demands Immediate Release of Withheld Osun LG Allocations

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on the Federal Government to immediately release statutory allocations due to local government councils in Osun State, describing the withholding of the funds as unconstitutional and a violation of judicial pronouncements.

In a strongly worded letter addressed to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the NBA urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to end what it termed “a dangerous precedent” that undermines the rule of law and weakens democratic institutions.

The Association referenced Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the financial autonomy of local governments, and warned that continued withholding of the funds constitutes an affront to clear judgments of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.

Quoting the Supreme Court decision in Attorney General of Lagos State vs. Attorney General of the Federation (2004), the NBA emphasized that the President has no power to suspend, withhold, or direct the suspension of statutory allocations due to local councils.

The NBA’s intervention follows allegations by the Osun State Government and newly elected PDP council officials that allocations have been withheld since February 2025, despite the conduct of fresh local government elections in the state on February 22, 2025.

The Association reviewed six court judgments delivered between November 2022 and June 2025 and concluded that the only legitimate and legally recognized local government officials in Osun State are those elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), and General Secretary, Mobolaji Ojibara, signed the letter, noting that the Association’s National Litigation Committee and Section on Public Interest and Development Law had been directed to engage key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Finance, the Osun State Government, and the National Assembly, on the issue.

The NBA added that if dialogue fails, it may institute a public interest suit “to put a halt to the continuing desecration, wanton violation, utter disregard and total disrespect of the Constitution and the courts.”

Copies of the letter were also sent to the Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke.

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