Osun Clerics warns against politicising LG allocations dispute

The Concerned Muslim Stakeholders and League of Alfas in Osun State has appealed to religious leaders, traditional rulers, civil servants and professional bodies to steer clear of partisan politics in the controversy over delayed local government allocations.

Speaking at a press conference in Osogbo on Tuesday, the group’s president, Khozeem AbdurRaham, cautioned against turning religious platforms into political tools.

He was reacting to recent calls by the League of Imams and Alfas, under Sheikh Musa Animasahun, as well as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and the Council of Obas in Osun, for President Bola Tinubu to release the councils’ funds to Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration.

AbdurRaham accused the clerics of abandoning their spiritual responsibilities to act as political spokespersons for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“It is highly surprising that the League of Imams and Alfas, who presented themselves as speaking for the Muslim Ummah, could discard Islamic brotherhood by becoming a mouthpiece of the PDP-led government in Osun State, to the detriment of Muslims across different political affiliations,” he said.

He argued that their demand contradicted the Supreme Court ruling of July 2024, which granted financial autonomy to local governments in the case of AGF v. AG Abia. “The clerics should not be seen as aiding Governor Ademola Adeleke’s attempt to unlawfully collect the allocations,” he added.

AbdurRaham commended President Tinubu for “choosing the path of peace, law and order” by respecting the court’s decision despite what he described as “misleading propaganda” by partisan voices.

He further charged traditional rulers to make careful enquiries before issuing public statements to avoid embarrassment, and called on Governor Adeleke to distance his administration from what he described as “falsehoods and cheap propaganda” on the allocation issue.

The group also demanded that NULGE members involved in the dispute be investigated, insisting that their role in what it termed “a selfish agenda” had caused hardship to ordinary people.

AbdurRaham urged the Osun judiciary to safeguard its image by ensuring that disputes are settled through lawful means. “At all times, law and order must prevail, and conflicts should be resolved in court rather than through propaganda capable of fuelling crises in the state,” he said.