Former National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Iyiola Omisore, has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu or the ruling party is responsible for the controversy surrounding local government funds in Osun State.
Speaking on Arise Television, Omisore said the issue should not be politicised, stressing that the real problem lies between the Osun State government and local government workers.
According to him, the crisis stems from the ongoing seven-month strike by members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), which has crippled operations in all the state’s councils.
“This is not about the president or APC. The problem is between the state and local government workers. Put the blame on the PDP government that has failed to resolve the matter,” Omisore stated.
He argued that the prolonged strike has raised practical questions about the disbursement of funds.
“Who do you release the money to? To elected officers who cannot function or to workers who have abandoned their duty posts for months? That’s the key issue,” he said.
Omisore also faulted stakeholders and senior lawyers for misrepresenting the matter, urging them to focus on resolving the strike before discussing issues of autonomy or allocation.
He further dismissed allegations that President Tinubu was deliberately withholding funds to influence political realignments in Osun State.
“Adeleke himself once attempted to join APC. We stopped him. So why would anyone say Tinubu is using this to play politics?” Omisore added.
The former APC scribe insisted that the matter is more of an administrative challenge than a political one and urged the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and other concerned groups to address it holistically.
