The Osun State Local Government Service Commission has approved the redeployment of five Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAs) to new duty posts, a development that comes amid intensifying political contestation over the control of council areas across the state.
A letter dated January 26, 2025, and signed by the Commission’s Permanent Secretary, Mudashir Oyedeji, confirmed the redeployments. The document, obtained in Osogbo on Tuesday, did not provide reasons for the changes but indicated that all five officers were moved from Local Council Development Authorities (LCDAs) to substantive local government areas.
One of the redeployments drawing particular attention is that of Yakubu Adekunle Oni, formerly serving at Irewole North East LCDA, who has been posted to Boripe Local Government Area, home council of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola.
According to the letter, the affected officers and their new postings are as follows: Bolaji Wasiu Ayoola, moved from Ife South West LCDA to Ola-Oluwa Local Government; Emmanuel Oluwole Ademokoya, from Oriade South LCDA to Atakumosa East Local Government; Adebisi Lateef Kayode, from Ede East LCDA to Oriade Local Government; Yakubu Adekunle Oni, from Irewole North East LCDA to Boripe Local Government; and Isaac Tope Akinwumi, from Egbedore South LCDA to Ife East Central LCDA.
“The officers affected by this deployment are to resume duties with immediate effect,” the letter stated.
However, it did not indicate the fate or next postings of officers previously overseeing the councils now assigned new HLGAs.
The redeployments have generated sharp reactions, unfolding against the backdrop of an ongoing dispute between the Osun State Government led by Ademola Adeleke and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) over control of local government councils.
Supporters of the APC have alleged that the postings are part of a broader strategy to wrest administrative control of certain councils from political office holders aligned with the party.
Several party loyalists aired these concerns across social media platforms on Tuesday, arguing that the timing of the redeployments was politically motivated.
Conversely, supporters of Governor Adeleke dismissed the allegations, maintaining that the state government, as the employer of local government civil servants, retains the constitutional authority to deploy officers as administrative exigencies demand.
The dispute over council control has lingered for months. Adeleke had, in a statewide broadcast on Monday, declared that the tenure of APC-elected council chairmen and councillors expired on October 25, 2025.
The APC rejected this position, insisting that its officials were unlawfully removed from office in 2022 and only reinstated following a judgment of the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, delivered on February 10, 2025.
The party further disclosed that the affected chairmen and councillors have returned to court to seek judicial clarification on the commencement and duration of their tenure.
As legal proceedings continue, administrative decisions such as the latest HLGA redeployments are likely to remain politically charged in Osun State.