Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke yesterday asked the withheld local government areas’ federal allocations “in line with the law and demands of the Constitution”.

The councils have not been to access their monthly allocations since February, following the violent clashes between members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) over the control of the LGAs.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) had demanded the release of the allocations to the duly elected council chairmen and councillors who emerged from the February 22 local government election.

This came after traditional rulers in the state under the leadership of the Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi on Tuesday sought President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the matter. Adeleke praised the monarch, the NBA and other groups for prevailing on the Federal Government to release the allocations. “I again call on the Federal Government to release Osun’s seized allocations in line with the law and demands of the constitution

“We will continue to deploy due process and rule of law in our struggle for Justice on this matter,” the governor was quoted as saying. He praised the courage and passion of the various groups for justice, truth and the upholding of the rule of law.

Adeleke said: “We are vindicated on all fronts on our rightful claim on the local government crisis. “I must particularly commend the NBA leadership for setting up a committee to investigate the Osun local government question and for demonstrating the rare courage to release the report, which declared that there is no legal basis for the continuous withholding of Osun local government allocations.”