The demand for refund was contained in the defence filed by the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, in response to a suit by the state government before the Supreme Court.

The state is challenging the Federal Government’s decision to withhold its local government allocations.

The allocations were suspended following a political tussle between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress over control of the local councils in Osun.

In the defence, filed by the AGF’s counsel, Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN, the Federal Government asked the apex court to compel Osun to refund all local government funds received between July 2024 and February 2025.

However, in a statement made available to newsmen, Osun State Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, described the demand as “misconceived and mischievous.”

“Why should Osun State refund local government allocations while the other 35 states continue to receive theirs into their Joint Local Government Accounts?. This smacks of bad faith and ill will against the people and government of Osun State,” he queried.

He accused the Federal Government of partisanship, alleging that it sought to divert the funds to APC-aligned local government officials rather than those elected under the PDP, adding that this violates the Supreme Court’s July 11, 2024 judgment, which affirmed the financial autonomy of local governments.

He described as “face-saving”, the argument of the AGF that it was Osun State that violated the July 11, 2024 judgment, hence, its inability to access allocations.