Makinde Itunuoluwa
The 30 ex-local government caretaker chairmen who were all returned as the chairmanship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party in the forthcoming local government Polls in Osun State, earned their tickets after an agreement was reached on the sharing of funds that would accrue to the third tier of government in the state, this medium has learnt. All the 30 ex-caretaker chairmen of main council in the state were returned as candidates of the party in the February 25, 2025 polls. But many of those that were caretaker chairmen in the Local Council Development Areas, got the nod of the governor to contest as Vice Chairmen.
Final ratification of PDP candidates’ list was done by Adeleke, the state party chairman, Sunday Bisi, the Speaker of the House, Wale Egbedun and the Secretary to the state government, Teslim Igbalaye in Osogbo last Sunday. A source privy to the arrangement, who craved anonymity, told this medium that Adeleke and his team had met the ex caretaker chairmen shortly after the Supreme Court gave its verdict in the suit filed by the Federal Government against the 36 State Governors, challenging their interference with the funds meant for local government areas in their States.
The Supreme Court verdict which upheld the financial autonomy of the Local Government, it was learnt left Adeleke in a fix, and necessitated a meeting between him and the then caretaker chairmen, where compromise was reached. “The meeting had all the caretaker chairmen in attendance. They were led to the meeting by the then Caretaker chairman of Ifelodun, Mr. Sarafadeen Awotunde. Adeleke, his Chief of Staff, Kazeem Akinleye, PDP State Chairman, Sunday Bisi, the Speaker, Egbedun and SSG, Igbalaye, were part of the state government team at the meeting convened by the governor. “At the meeting, Adeleke told the chairmen that l continue funding for his ongoing projects would be impossible, unless local government funds would be made available through another means, since the council would be recieving their monthly allocation directly from the Federation Account. “At that point, the caretaker chairmen, who were apprehensive they may not be given the party’s ticket in the election gave him a condition. “They told the governor to come up with a template that would enable them return any percentage he wanted from their allocation, without affecting their individual local government workers and primary school teachers’ salary. “They assured Adeleke that once they have the guarantee they would be made candidates at the LG poll, regardless the opposition from their respective council areas, money from their local government would continue to be available to fund projects at state level, as the projects are still located in one local government or the other in the state.
“At that point, agreement was reached on the template that would be used to return funds to the state, despite the financial autonomy that the constitution has given the local government areas. “Under the arrangement between the state and the council chairmen, the agreed that the size of the allocation would determine the percentage they would return after deduction of workers’ salaries,” a source close to the ALGON leadership in the state, who attended the meeting said.
