Osun state PDP urges IGP, EFCC to probe attempted N12.75bn LG funds payout

By Alaiye Ibrahim

The Osun State chapter of the People Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Director-General of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate an alleged attempt by court-sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen in the state to illegally disburse nearly N13 billion of local government funds as legal fees.

According to a leaked letter circulating online, one of the sacked chairmen instructed the United Bank for Africa (UBA) to pay a law firm (name withheld) 15 percent of the council’s allocation, received last week, as legal fees.

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In a statement issued in Osogbo on Wednesday, signed by Osun State Chairman, Hon. Sunday Bisi, the PDP raised alarm over the directive, describing it as an illegal scheme to siphon local government funds.

The statement alleged that the APC’s sacked chairmen in all 30 local government councils had issued similar instructions to UBA.

“The total balance in all the 30 LG accounts is about N85 billion. Fifteen percent of that amount translates to N12.75 billion, which these court-sacked APC chairmen have instructed UBA to pay out as legal fees. Fortunately, the Oyo State High Court order of last Friday stopped them and their scheme,” Hon.Bisi disclosed according to a verified post on X.

He further revealed that the court-sacked chairmen used individuals who are not council staff as treasurers and co-signatories on the letters.

“There is no officer designated as treasurer in the local government scheme of service across the country. Yet, these people used individuals who are not local government staff to fill the non-existent position of treasurer. One of those who signed the letter is a non-teaching staff of a private polytechnic in Boluwaduro Local Government Area of Osun State. It is shocking,” the PDP chairman added.

The PDP said the letters was written a few days ago to UBA instructing a deduction of 15 percent from the account of local government to be paid to a legal practitioner with a UBA between February and September 2025 in favour of the law firm, via an “Irrevocable Letter of Deduction.” which were forwarded to a branch of UBA.

Condemning the development, the PDP accused the Osun APC of descending to an all-time low ,marked by outright impunity and deliberate violations of the law and constitution.

“Despite a court order and a pending case before the Supreme Court, the Osun APC is violating all known laws and public finance regulations,” Hon. Bisi said.

He recalled that an Oyo State High Court had, on Friday, issued an injunction restraining UBA from processing any deductions or payments from the accounts opened by the sacked APC chairmen, into which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had recently released seized eight-month allocations to the local government.

The PDP, therefore, called on the Inspector General of police and the Director-General of the EFCC to launch a thorough criminal investigations into the letters and identify their authors. insisting that all individuals involved in this illegality face the consequences of their actions.