By Newspot Nigeria News Desk
Osogbo—An Osun-based civil society organization, Concerned Citizens of Osun State, has launched a scathing attack on former Osun State Governor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, accusing him of deliberately contributing to the growing political backlash faced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Osun State.
In a strongly worded statement released on Sunday in Osogbo, the group’s National Coordinator, Apesin Abiodun Adegoke, held Oyetola directly responsible for the continued hardship at the grassroots level, following the protracted withholding of local government allocations by the Federal Government.
According to the group, local government workers—including teachers, traditional rulers, healthcare providers, and pensioners—have borne the brunt of a politically motivated freeze of funds. The group argued that despite Court of Appeal rulings affirming the sack of what they termed “illegally installed ‘Yes/No’ Chairmen and Councilors,” the flow of statutory allocations to local governments in Osun remains unjustifiably blocked.
They noted that one of the Court of Appeal decisions—particularly in the APC vs PDP case—explicitly dismissed the claims defending the controversial 60-day election notice issued under Oyetola’s administration as premature and speculative. The Electoral Act 2022, the group emphasized, stipulates a 360-day notice for valid local government elections.
Highlighting precedents, the group referenced the 2010 ACN vs OSSIEC/PDP case in Osun and the 2024/2025 APC vs RSIEC case in Rivers State. Both judgments, they said, invalidated elections over procedural defects, especially concerning improper notice periods. Ironically, they noted, the APC—beneficiary of favorable judicial pronouncements in other states—is now actively undermining judicial consistency in Osun.
“Oyetola was never part of the core progressive struggle in Osun,” Adegoke claimed. “He was imposed as Chief of Staff in 2010 and again in 2018 as the APC’s gubernatorial candidate by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, now the President. Yet, he has done more harm than good to Tinubu’s name in the state.”
Revisiting the controversial 2018 Osun gubernatorial election, the group described the re-run election—where Oyetola was declared winner after losing the first ballot to Senator Ademola Adeleke—as “widely condemned and manipulated.”
According to the statement, Oyetola’s four-year tenure was marked by vendetta politics, neglect of workers’ welfare, and the failure to pay over 30 months’ worth of half salaries. The group also accused him of using his current ministerial office to collude with the Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), in blocking critical funds meant for local government administration.
The consequences, they warned, are grave. “Osun citizens are increasingly viewing President Tinubu as complicit in this suffering. If the President does not restrain his appointee, the political damage may be irreparable.”
The group also pointed to Friday’s announcement by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abeokuta, where plans were unveiled to begin picketing members of the National Assembly allegedly contributing to the worsening economic situation—including those involved in obstructing local government funding in Osun. They warned that the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy may not be spared such public actions, potentially worsening the President’s reception in the state.
“We want Mr. President to be aware that his nephew and current Minister has recruited more enemies for him in Osun State by stalling statutory allocations through his alliance with the Attorney General,” Adegoke concluded. “The people are watching.”
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FULL STATEMENT BY CONCERNED CITIZENS OF OSUN STATE
Group Carpets Oyetola for Creating More Enemies for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Osogbo, Sunday – An Osun-based civil society organization, Concerned Citizens of Osun State, has expressed deep concern over the continued withholding of local government allocations by the Federal Government. The group has held former Osun State Governor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, responsible for the ongoing hardship faced by grassroots citizens across the state.
In a statement made available to journalists in Osogbo on Sunday, the group’s National Coordinator, Apesin Abiodun Adegoke, directly accused Oyetola of masterminding the prolonged suffering of local government workers, including teachers, healthcare personnel, traditional rulers, and pensioners. The group alleged that despite clear rulings from the Court of Appeal affirming the sack of the illegally installed “Yes/No” Chairmen and Councilors, funds meant for grassroots governance remain unjustifiably withheld.
According to the group, one of the appeal court rulings, which involved the APC and PDP, dismissed the case as speculative and premature. To date, no court has validated the 60-day notice issued for the conduct of local government elections under Oyetola, an act in direct violation of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates a 360-day notice period for such elections.
Citing legal precedent, the group referenced the 2010 ACN vs OSSIEC/PDP case in Osun and the recent 2024/2025 APC vs. RSIEC case in Rivers State. Both judgments were decided in favor of the complainants due to invalid electoral notices. Ironically, the same APC that benefitted from favorable judgments on similar grounds now refuses to obey the law in Osun State.
Adegoke further accused Oyetola of a consistent pattern of political opportunism. “Mr. Gboyega Oyetola has a history of thriving off the efforts of others. He was imposed on Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as Chief of Staff in 2010 by then Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and again imposed as the APC gubernatorial candidate in 2018. He never participated in the early struggles of the progressive movement in Osun, which was championed by Aregbesola alongside Rt. Hon. Lasun Yusuf, Alhaji Fatai Diekola, and others,” Adegoke stated.
The group also revisited the 2018 gubernatorial election, describing it as one marred by manipulation. “Oyetola lost at the first ballot to Senator Ademola Adeleke, the current Governor of Osun State, but was declared winner after a widely condemned re-run election,” the statement read.
“He ruled for four years without prioritizing workers’ welfare, turned a deaf ear to the cries of the people, and left behind 30 months of unpaid half salaries. His administration was driven more by vendetta politics against his predecessor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, than by any commitment to good governance,” the group added.
The group also alleged that Oyetola, in collaboration with the Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), is actively working to undermine local government administration in Osun by facilitating the continued withholding of funds—80% of which are designated for salaries, pensions, community development, and essential services.
“Today, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola hides behind the corridors of federal power to destabilize local governance in Osun, thereby creating more enemies for President Tinubu. Many Osun citizens now wrongly perceive the President as complicit or autocratic due to the suffering engineered by Oyetola and his allies,” the group said.
They further called on President Tinubu to urgently intervene and restrain his appointee before irreparable political damage is done. The group also referenced recent developments involving the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), noting that during its Friday event in Abeokuta, the NLC announced plans to begin picketing members of the National Assembly who are complicit in the continued economic hardship across the country, particularly those involved in the prolonged withholding of local government funds in Osun. The Office of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy may not be exempt from such actions, which could worsen the President’s image and reception in Osun State.
“We want Mr. President to be aware that his nephew and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy has recruited more enemies for him in Osun State by deliberately stalling statutory allocations to local governments through his influence and relationship with the Attorney General of the Federation. The people are watching.”
Signed:
Apesin Abiodun Adegoke
National Coordinator, Concerned Citizens of Osun State
06/07/2025
