Constitutional lawyer, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has criticised the continued withholding of statutory allocations to local governments in Osun State, insisting that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) must rise above politics and perform his constitutional role as the nation’s Chief Law Officer.
Speaking on Channels Television, Ozekhome noted that two court judgments had already nullified the tenure of former All Progressives Congress (APC) council officials and validated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmen and councillors elected in February 2025. He added that the Court of Appeal had affirmed there was no legal impediment preventing the release of funds to the newly elected officials.
“Nothing bars them from receiving their allocation,” he said, recalling how President Bola Tinubu, as Lagos State Governor, challenged the federal government’s attempt to withhold local government funds before the Supreme Court, which ruled in the state’s favour.
Ozekhome described as “political” and unconstitutional the AGF’s March 21 letter backing the stoppage of allocations to Osun councils. He warned that the AGF’s loyalty was to the federation and the people, not the government of the day, stressing that failure to advise the President correctly would amount to dereliction of duty.
“If he gave the right advice and the President refused to heed it, then the honourable step would be to resign,” Ozekhome said.
The senior lawyer also renewed calls for the separation of the roles of Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, noting that while ministers serve at the pleasure of the President, the AGF must be independent of partisan pressures and act as guardian of the public interest.
Reiterating that Nigeria remains a three-tier federation of federal, state, and local governments, Ozekhome urged the AGF to avoid political statements and ensure Osun local governments receive their allocations.
