An advocacy group, The Osun Masterminds, TOM, has called for urgent dialogue to resolve the ongoing controversy surrounding the management and disbursement of local government allocations in Osun State.
The group made the call during its September State of the State Address, presented by its Executive Director, Prof Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli on Monday, in Osogbo.
TOM also expressed concern over the growing tension between members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state.
According to the group, political interests appears to have overshadowed the welfare of the people at the grassroots level.
Oyedokun-Alli said, “We note with concern the controversies surrounding the management and disbursement of local government allocations.
“It is unfortunate that this matter has generated so much tension among political actors, with each of the political tendencies prioritising self-aggrandisement over the interests of our people at the grassroots.”
Oyedokun-Alli while urging stakeholders to convene a round-table meeting to address the crisis, stressed that representatives of the state government, local government officials, political parties, civil society organisations, and community leaders should be involved.
“An urgent round-table needs to be convened to bring together representatives of the State Government, Local Government officials, political parties, civil society and community leaders.
“Such dialogue will help bridge divides and place Osun above partisanship.”
According to the group, fostering peaceful coexistence among political interests would require firm commitment from the state government led by Governor Ademola Adeleke.
It noted that despite recent challenges, dialogue remained the most viable path to resolving the crisis.
“It must be stated that convening a dialogue of this nature will require that the State Government, under Sen. Ademola Adeleke, stays fiercely committed to peaceful co-existence among political interests.
“This may be the only way out of the current impasse,” it added.
The group advised that all pending legal disputes regarding the issue should be pursued in court, warning against political brinkmanship and self-help.
“We also counsel that all unresolved legal interpretations should be pursued in court rather than political brinkmanship and self-help that have over-complicated the situation,” it said.
Emphasising that the issue was not partisan, the group maintained that it concerned the future of grassroots governance and democracy in Osun.
“We want to make it clear, this is not about PDP or APC. This is about the survival of grassroots democracy in Osun.
“Local Governments are the closest to the people, and denying them the resources to function effectively is tantamount to strangulating the State from below,” it added.
It called on all political actors to prioritise the collective interest of Osun people above political rivalry and competition.
“We state unequivocally that the interest of the people of the State must remain paramount in the hearts of all the gladiators in this matter.
“Osun is our common patrimony and we must not destroy it on the altar of political competition,” the statement concluded.
DAILY POST had earlier reported that the Osun chapters of the APC, PDP and National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, had differed on the release of local government allocations in the state.
NULGE accused top Federal Government officials of abuse of power and disregard for the rule of law in the management of Osun’s local government allocations.
However, in a swift reaction, the Osun State chapter of the APC described the NULGE statement as a pack of lies and deliberate misrepresentation intended to serve political interests.
Reacting, the Osun PDP said it noted the APC’s admission that the funds had been released.
The ruling party challenged the APC to disclose the specific accounts into which the allocations were paid and reveal the signatories to those accounts.
