The governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Hon. Akeem Bimbo Adekanmbi, has challenged his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, to account for his legislative contributions towards achieving local government autonomy during his over three years in the Senate.
Adekanmbi accused Alli, who represents Oyo South Senatorial District, of making local government autonomy a campaign slogan without backing his advocacy with concrete legislative action, insisting that the APC candidate had not sponsored any bill to advance the cause.
The former Oyo State commissioner for finance spoke on Fresh FM Ibadan’s programme, Political Circuit, where he described promises to grant local government autonomy as politically motivated and misleading, arguing that state governors lack the constitutional powers to independently implement it.
He challenged Alli to explain what he had done in the National Assembly to advance the cause and account for his record as a former chairman of Ibadan North Local Government.
“This my egbon, who is saying he is the champion of local government autonomy, has been in the Senate for over three years, yet he has no single bill to that effect,” Adekanmbi said.
“You know you are coming back to govern a state where you were once a local government chairman.”
Adekanmbi argued that local government autonomy could not be achieved merely through campaign promises, stressing that the legal framework governing the relationship between state and local governments must first be addressed.
He maintained that the Supreme Court’s 2024 judgment on local government financial autonomy required constitutional and administrative measures for full implementation, adding that the responsibility involved both the legislature and the executive.
“Governor Seyi Makinde does not have the power to implement local government autonomy. No state governor in Nigeria has the power to grant local government autonomy because the law of Nigeria, as it stands now, is in favour of the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC),” he said.
According to him, the National Assembly must undertake the necessary constitutional amendments, while the executive must implement the resulting legal framework.
Adekanmbi, however, acknowledged that local government chairmen and residents had legitimate concerns about the management of council funds and the degree of control exercised over their administration.
He said his consultations across local government areas had exposed demands for greater freedom for council chairmen to manage their affairs, but insisted that any reform must be accompanied by safeguards against financial mismanagement.
The APM candidate identified four fundamental questions that must be addressed in designing an effective local government administration system.
These include what happens when allocations are insufficient to meet salary and pension obligations, how fiscal responsibility and transparency would be guaranteed, how council chairmen would be prevented from abusing their financial powers, and what would happen if federal allocations were disrupted.
He said his administration, if elected governor in 2027, would develop practical solutions to these concerns rather than make promises beyond its constitutional powers.
“However, Bimbo Adekanmbi as governor has answers to those fundamental questions. I will ensure that the local people have a say in the spending of their money,” he said.
Adekanmbi also defended the Joint Account Allocation Committee arrangement, explaining that it emerged from concerns over disparities in the financial capacities of urban and rural local governments.
He recalled that during the military era, when local governments enjoyed greater financial independence, some urban councils reportedly struggled to meet salary and pension obligations because of their large workforce, particularly primary school teachers, while some less urban councils were better able to meet their obligations.
He cited Ibadan North, which he said was under Alli’s chairmanship at the time, as an example of a council that allegedly experienced serious salary arrears and other administrative challenges.
Adekanmbi further alleged that a report had indicted the former council chairman over the management of its finances, accusing him of running the local government into the ground. These allegations were made by the APM candidate during the programme.
He argued that the experience contributed to the adoption of the JAAC arrangement, under which local government funds are pooled and certain first-line obligations, including primary school teachers’ salaries, are deducted before the balance is distributed according to established formulas.
He said the Oyo State Government was operating the arrangement under the existing legal framework, adding that the governor could not unilaterally abandon it and declare full local government autonomy.
The APM candidate insisted that the debate should move beyond political rhetoric to address the practical and legal questions surrounding the funding, accountability and administration of local governments.
He warned that candidates who promised to grant autonomy without explaining the constitutional and financial mechanisms for achieving it risked misleading voters.
“I am saying it live that anybody who comes and says that he wants to grant local government autonomy is mercilessly telling lies to get votes because they know that is what people want to hear. But I will not go and promise people local government autonomy,” he said.
Adekanmbi concluded by challenging Alli to explain both his legislative record on local government autonomy and his performance during his tenure as chairman of Ibadan North Local Government.