The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended the payment of accumulated salaries owed to traditional rulers, saying the decision was based on legal obligations and welfare considerations, not political motives.
The defence came in a statement by Kola Olabisi, APC Director of Media and Information, following objections from Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, who questioned why reinstated local government chairmen prioritized the settlement of long-delayed salaries.
The APC accused the Assembly leadership of “displaying hostility towards monarchs” and criticised what it described as misplaced priorities in publicly criticising the payments.
The salary backlog, the party noted, built up during an 11-month disruption at the local government level, linked to industrial action by a faction of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and court actions initiated by the state government that impeded access to statutory allocations.
Defending the payments, Samuel Abiodun Idowu, chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Osun, said the councils acted within the law and aligned with APC policy.
“The welfare of traditional rulers should not be politicised. They are custodians of culture whose entitlements must be respected,” Idowu said, adding that councils would not subject monarchs to “avoidable hardship, harassment or victimisation.”
Idowu cited the Supreme Court judgment of July 11, 2024, which affirmed the autonomy of local government councils, and a Court of Appeal ruling from Akure on February 10, 2025, which reinstated APC chairmen and councillors. He stressed that the rulings remain valid.
“The reinstated chairmen owe no apology to anyone for paying what is legitimately due to traditional rulers,” he added.
The APC also recalled earlier tensions between the state government and some monarchs, including disputes involving the Speaker and the Alasi of Asi, Oba Oyewale Olasunkanmi Isaac, which became public through an audio recording in which the Speaker’s remarks were perceived as threatening.
The party said these developments reinforced its determination to ensure traditional rulers receive their statutory entitlements promptly.
