The All Progressives Congress in Osun State has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of deliberately distorting facts regarding the tenure status of local government council officials and misrepresenting the circumstances surrounding withheld allocations.

In a statement issued by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the APC claimed Governor Adeleke’s recent state broadcast contained falsehoods designed to confuse the public about the legitimacy of council chairmen and councillors currently occupying local government secretariats across the state.

“The governor’s broadcast was a ploy to use falsehoods to confuse and ultimately misinform members of the public, as it is far from the truth that the reinstated APC chairmen and councillors have been illegally occupying the local government council secretariats for about one year,” Olabisi stated.

The opposition party insisted that the matter before the Federal High Court in Osogbo concerns only the determination of the three-year tenure granted to APC council executives, not an application for tenure elongation as claimed by the governor.

Olabisi argued that it would have been more honest for Governor Adeleke to disclose that the reinstated APC council officials are also questioning the legality of conducting another election while their tenure remains under judicial review.

However, Governor Adeleke has maintained that the council officials’ tenure expired in October 2025, describing their continued presence at the secretariats as a severe criminal breach of the law and the Constitution.

“If you admitted your tenure has lapsed, what are you still doing at the councils? Filing a case does not extend your tenure, and the constitution does not permit it. Osun APC are engaging in a severe, criminal breach of the law and the constitution,” Adeleke declared in his response.

The governor’s spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, countered the APC’s allegations by emphasizing that multiple court judgments, including those from the Federal High Court in November 2022 and affirmations by the Court of Appeal in February and June 2025, had nullified the elections that brought the APC officials to office.

Adeleke has demanded the immediate release of over ₦130 billion in statutory allocations allegedly withheld from Osun’s 30 local governments since February 2025, warning that the blockade is crippling grassroots governance and inflicting hardship on workers and residents.

The governor accused former Osun Governor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, of supporting the continued occupation of council secretariats with police backing, an action he described as undermining democracy and the rule of law.

According to Adeleke, the withheld funds are critical for paying salaries of primary school teachers, nurses working in 332 primary healthcare centers, council workers, traditional councils and retirees. He revealed that the state government has had to make painful sacrifices to pay these salaries for almost 12 months.

The Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria in Osun, Abiodun Idowu, defended the APC officials’ presence at the councils, claiming they have legal backing from the Court of Appeal judgment of February 10, 2025.

“We are in the council secretariats legally, as we have approached the court to determine the issue of our tenure, which will come up February 3, after which we will know our position,” Idowu stated.

The escalating war of words between the state government and opposition party reflects deepening tensions ahead of the August 8, 2026 governorship election, where both camps are positioning themselves for what promises to be a fiercely contested poll.

In December 2025, the Supreme Court dismissed Osun’s attempt to force the release of the withheld funds, ruling that the state attorney-general lacked the legal right to sue on behalf of the councils, though the court acknowledged that the federal government had wrongly withheld the money.

Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu over repeated national grid failures, reminding him of his 2022 campaign pledge to deliver steady electricity or forfeit a second term in office.

In a statement posted on his X account on Wednesday, Obi referenced Tinubu’s campaign declaration: “If I do not provide steady electricity in my first four years, do not vote for me for a second term.”

The former Anambra State governor noted that the national grid has already collapsed twice in January 2026 alone, with the month not yet over, following approximately 12 collapses recorded throughout 2025.

“This reality sharply contradicts the promise and should worry every patriotic Nigerian,” Obi wrote, describing the recurring system failures as deeply troubling for Africa’s most populous nation.

Obi drew a striking comparison between Nigeria and Turkey, where President Tinubu is currently conducting a state visit. He pointed out that Turkey, with a population of approximately 87 million people—roughly a third of Nigeria’s—generates and distributes over 120,000 megawatts of electricity, while Nigeria struggles with less than five percent of that capacity.

The politician urged the president to prioritize addressing domestic challenges rather than embarking on continuous international trips. “Our appeal is simple: stay at home and confront the nation’s problems,” Obi stated, warning that unchecked governance failures could soon make foreign visits appear insensitive to public suffering.

Obi also criticized what he described as Nigeria’s obsession with electoral politics at the expense of effective governance, calling for unity in demanding accountability from political leaders.

“We should be joining hands to demand accountability and responsible leadership, and to save Nigerians from the indignity and suffering caused by persistent bad governance,” the former governor added.

The statement follows Friday’s grid collapse, which plunged the entire country into darkness when power generation crashed to zero megawatts around midday. The Nigerian Independent System Operator attributed the failure to simultaneous tripping of multiple 330 kilovolt transmission lines and disconnection of several generating units.

This marks the second grid failure in January 2026, following an earlier collapse recorded earlier in the month. The pattern mirrors 2025, when the first grid collapse also occurred in January and was subsequently followed by multiple failures throughout the year.

Nigeria has consistently ranked as the country with the lowest electricity access globally for three consecutive years from 2023 through 2025, leaving nearly 100 million citizens without reliable power supply despite being Africa’s largest economy.

President Tinubu departed for Turkey on Sunday, January 26, for a state visit focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in energy, defense, trade and investment. The trip has attracted criticism from opposition figures who argue the president should focus on resolving Nigeria’s chronic power crisis before pursuing international engagements.

Obi concluded his statement with his trademark refrain: “A New Nigeria is POssible.”

Prominent Peoples Democratic Party chieftain Balarabe Abiodun Akinwumi has joined the African Democratic Congress-led coalition in Ondo State, marking another significant defection to the opposition alliance ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Akinwumi, a former aide to ex-Governor Olusegun Mimiko on Oil and Gas and unsuccessful aspirant for the Akure South/Akure North Federal Constituency, announced his political realignment alongside other high-profile PDP members who have abandoned the party for the coalition.

The coalition, according to former House of Representatives member Bode Ayorinde who leads the initiative, comprises chieftains from the PDP, Social Democratic Party, Labour Party, ADC and other opposition blocs across Ondo State.

Former governorship candidates Eyitayo Jegede and Agboola Ajayi have also joined the coalition, alongside Senator Nicholas Tofowomo, former PDP chairman Tola Alabere, and ex-party spokesman Kennedy Peretei.

Speaking at a coalition gathering, Ayorinde disclosed that membership had grown from 25 members at the first meeting to over 300 participants, describing the expansion as evidence of the ruling All Progressives Congress’s failures in the state.

“I’m happy that our number is increasing; we must work together. Eyitayo Jegede, Agboola Ajayi are also part of us. It is a state coalition, we are united together,” Ayorinde stated.

Peretei claimed that two local governments in Ondo State have already collapsed their PDP structures for the ADC, declaring that the PDP no longer exists in those areas and has been replaced by the coalition party.

“If you say PDP, you say no. PDP doesn’t exist anymore. It’s ADC that exists. And you see it here,” the former PDP spokesman declared during the event.

Akinwumi, who holds degrees in law from Westminster University and an MBA from the University of Dundee, brings significant political experience to the coalition having served the state government between 2009 and 2011 as a principal aide to Governor Mimiko.

The lawyer had previously been vocal within PDP circles, criticizing opposition governors who defected to the APC and describing such moves as driven by fear and self-preservation rather than political conviction.

However, the ADC coalition in Ondo State faces internal challenges. Former ADC governorship candidate Barrister Myson Nejo has accused Ayorinde’s faction of attempting to hijack the party’s structures and impose loyalists without consulting original party members.

Nejo claimed that Ayorinde unilaterally declared himself State Coordinator during a coalition meeting and announced that the sitting state chairman would be relegated to secretary, sparking resistance from indigenous ADC members.

“We will not tolerate or accept the party being run as a one-man show. The ADC in Ondo State belongs to all genuine members, and its growth must be democratic, inclusive, and people-centred,” Nejo warned.

Despite the internal tensions, coalition leaders have expressed confidence about dislodging the APC from power in the 2027 elections, though critics have dismissed the alliance as a gathering of politicians who have consistently failed at the polls.

The Grassroots Movement for Tinubu in Ondo State described the coalition as “shadow-chasers” lacking the political strength and credibility to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s re-election or unseat the APC in the state.

The coalition’s announcement comes as opposition parties across Nigeria explore various merger options and realignment strategies aimed at presenting a united front against the ruling party ahead of the next general elections.