Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has again raised concerns over what he described as ongoing illegality in the administration of local governments in the state, insisting that the tenure of All Progressives Congress (APC) council chairmen expired on October 22, 2025.

In a statement shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, the governor said the tenure of the affected local government officials cannot be extended under Nigeria’s Constitution, stressing that filing court cases does not amount to tenure elongation.

Adeleke warned that local government autonomy does not give room for unelected individuals or officials with expired mandates to occupy council secretariats or manage public funds meant for workers. According to him, once a tenure expires, the authority attached to it automatically ends.

“The self-awarded tenure of APC chairmen expired on 22 October 2025 and cannot be extended under the Constitution,” the governor stated, adding that security agencies should not provide cover for what he termed illegal actions.

He also criticised attempts to invoke the name of President Bola Tinubu to justify the continued occupation of local government offices, describing such actions as unacceptable.

Governor Adeleke noted that his administration continues to pay local government workers’ salaries, explaining that autonomy should not translate into hardship for workers at the grassroots.

“This must stop. Democracy must be protected,” he said.

The statement comes amid rising political tension in Osun State over control of local government councils and the interpretation of local government autonomy following recent legal and political developments.