The governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, has declared support for financial autonomy for local governments, taking a position different from his principal, Governor Seyi Makinde, who had described the Supreme Court judgment on the issue as a distraction.
Adekanmbi made his position known while featuring on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) television, where he openly declared himself a champion of local government autonomy.
“I want local government autonomy. I am a champion of it,” the former Oyo State Commissioner for Finance said.
His declaration comes against the backdrop of Makinde’s controversial reaction to the Supreme Court judgment of July 11, 2024, which affirmed the financial independence of local governments and directed that allocations from the Federation Account be paid directly to democratically elected councils.
Makinde, reacting to the judgment two days after it was delivered, described the decision as a distraction from what he considered the more pressing challenges facing the country, particularly poor productivity, hunger and economic hardship.
Speaking with journalists in Ibadan, the governor questioned the financial sustainability of local governments and their capacity to generate sufficient revenue independently.
“I think it is just a distraction. We must face the real issues that we have. The issue that we have is that we are not producing enough. We are not productive,” Makinde said.
He further questioned whether local governments could survive without federal allocations, asking: “How much are those LGAs generating within their domains? Can they survive without handouts from Abuja? Handouts from Abuja, is that the way to go? Is it sustainable?”
The governor’s comments attracted attention because they came shortly after the Supreme Court ruled against the practice of routing local government allocations through state-controlled accounts, a system that had been criticised for allowing state governments to exercise excessive control over council finances.
The apex court held that state governments could not receive, control or withhold funds meant for local government councils and ruled that allocations should be paid directly to democratically elected local government administrations.
Adekanmbi’s declaration is therefore politically significant, particularly as he seeks to present himself as an advocate of grassroots financial independence ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
His latest comments also come days after he addressed the same subject on Fresh FM Ibadan’s Political Circuit programme, where he defended Makinde’s position on the practical implementation of local government autonomy, arguing that no governor could independently implement the policy without the necessary legislative and executive actions at the federal level.
However, his latest declaration on BCOS TV puts his personal position on the principle of local government autonomy beyond doubt, with the APM candidate now openly describing himself as a champion of the policy.
