The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has dismissed allegations by the Osun State House of Assembly accusing him of interfering in the administration and finances of local governments in the state.
The allegations were denied in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Bolaji Akinola, in response to a press release by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, dated February 1, 2026. Akinola described the claims as fabricated, malicious, and aimed at misleading the public.
According to him, Oyetola has no constitutional or statutory role in the administration, funding, or banking operations of local governments. He stressed that local governments across Nigeria enjoy full financial autonomy as guaranteed by the Constitution and affirmed by the Supreme Court.
Akinola said attempts to link the minister to local government finances were reckless propaganda designed to divert attention from governance failures and ongoing legal challenges facing the Osun State Government. He alleged that the narrative mirrors earlier claims by Governor Ademola Adeleke and represents a desperate effort to reassert state control over local government funds in defiance of binding court judgments.
He cited the Supreme Court judgment of July 11, 2024, which granted full financial autonomy to local governments nationwide and barred state governors from interfering in their affairs. He also referenced a Court of Appeal judgment delivered on February 10, 2025, which reinstated duly elected local government chairmen in Osun State, noting that the state government declined to appeal the ruling.
Akinola described claims that the chairmen are illegal as false and dishonest, adding that the Osun State Government has filed multiple court cases and allegedly sponsored prolonged strikes to undermine local government autonomy.
He urged Nigerians, civil society groups, and democracy advocates to defend local government autonomy and uphold the rule of law.
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