Governor Adeleke reportedly wept for 15 minutes over Osun’s deepening local government crisis.
Legal battles and withheld funds have crippled development, fueling speculation about his political future.
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke reportedly broke down in tears for 15 minutes during a recent cabinet meeting amid the escalating local government crisis rocking the state.
The Osun State Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole, revealed this during a Digital Literacy Training session for teachers in Ede. He mentioned that the governor was visibly overwhelmed and unable to start the meeting until members of the State Executive Council comforted him.
“On Saturday, the governor wept for 15 minutes before he could begin the meeting. Fifteen minutes! They were trying to pacify him,” Eluwole stated.
The development stems from a long-standing legal battle between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) concerning control of local government councils in the state. In a recent ruling, the Court of Appeal reinstated council officials elected under the APC who a Federal High Court decision had earlier removed.
The financial impasse has had a profound impact on governance and service delivery in the state, placing significant pressure on key sectors, including education, healthcare, and public administration.
Commissioner Eluwole lamented the toll the crisis is taking on schools, stating that developmental initiatives have stalled due to the reallocation of funds to cover basic obligations.
“If not for what is happening since February till now, we would have seen many provisions in the schools by now. It is in the pipeline,” he said.
According to reports, the state government has diverted funds intended for projects and infrastructure to pay traditional rulers, primary school teachers, health professionals, and local government employees.
“Everybody is taking their money as due. That is why we don’t have more teachers in schools,” Eluwole added.
“A traditional ruler wept recently because of the situation. There is a serious problem at hand.”
Ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial election, Senator Iyiola Omisore, a former deputy governor of Osun State, has commented on rumours that Governor Adeleke might be thinking about defecting to the APC.
In a television interview monitored on Wednesday, Omisore dismissed any backdoor entry into the APC and insisted that Adeleke must begin at the grassroots if he genuinely wishes to join the party.
“You cannot be meeting Governor Dapo Abiodun to anchor you into our party. Politics is very local. If he must join us, he has to start from the grassroots,” Omisore said.
He further claimed that Adeleke’s rumored interest in the APC is rooted in anxiety over his re-election chances.
“Adeleke is only scared of losing the second term bid, which is why he is seeking to contest under the platform of the APC,” he said.
While Omisore acknowledged Adeleke’s right to freedom of association, he warned that political protocol must be strictly followed.
“I’m not saying Adeleke cannot join the party. He has the constitutional right to associate with any party,” he added.
