President Bola Tinubu has initiated fresh efforts to resolve the lingering local government crisis in Osun State through negotiations with Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration.
A senior Osun State Government official disclosed that the President initiated the peace process shortly after the August 15 governorship election during Adeleke’s visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The official said Tinubu subsequently set up a committee headed by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to develop a framework for resolving the dispute between the state government and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the source, negotiations have reached the final stage, with both parties considering an out-of-court settlement that could restore normal administration in the affected local government councils.
The official explained that the crisis had become a source of public discontent and that both parties recognised the need to address the issues before the 2027 general elections.
“Incidentally, we are in collaboration with the Presidency on the 2027 presidential election, and one of the issues people are angry about is the local government matter.
“Both sides thought, let’s find a way to look at the issues and resolve them. The Presidency and the state government set up a small committee to create a framework under which all these issues would be tackled,” the source said.
The official added that the committee was established shortly after the governorship election, dismissing suggestions that the President had only recently intervened.
“After the election, when we visited the President, that was the day the committee was set up, it was not as if it was yesterday. It was the President who said, ‘Let’s set up this small committee to resolve this matter that is becoming complicated,’” the source said.
The Osun local government crisis centres on the legitimacy of council officials, control of the councils and access to local government funds. The dispute has triggered violent clashes and multiple legal battles between rival political camps.
Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, also confirmed that the Presidency and the state government were working towards establishing a negotiation team to resolve the impasse.
Rasheed disclosed this during a private radio programme in Osogbo on Wednesday, expressing optimism that the dispute would be resolved before the 2027 general elections.
However, he said he was not directly involved in the negotiations and could not provide details of the proposed settlement.
“The local government matter is very complicated. Politically and legally, it has passed over layers and layers of complexity. Now, when you want to resolve it, it’s not a straight-jacket thing,” he said.
Rasheed identified the tenure of APC-backed council chairmen and councillors, who he said left office on October 25, 2025, as one of the major issues in the dispute.
He also cited the position of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmen and councillors who were elected but had yet to assume office because of concerns about possible violence.
The spokesperson further raised questions about the management of local government funds and purchases allegedly made by the APC-backed council officials, noting that these issues had added to the complexity of the negotiations.
“You have the YES/NO whose non-existent tenure has lapsed since October 25, 2025. Secondly, you have the duly elected PDP chairmen and councillors who have not resumed because of the need to avoid violence,” Rasheed said.
He added that the handling of council funds and transactions involving the APC-backed officials would also have to be addressed as part of efforts to achieve a lasting settlement.
“What the governor and the Presidency are doing is to set up a negotiation team to iron out how best we can resolve it. In fact, the negotiation is almost reaching the final stage,” he said.
Rasheed expressed confidence that the negotiations would produce a resolution before the next general elections, despite the legal and political complications surrounding the local government administration.
