December 21, 2025 l By Dalena Reporters
Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State — The Ekiti State Government has approved the payment of ₦458,793,960 in severance benefits for former political office holders at the local government level, a move aimed at settling entitlements for officials who served during the 2022–2023 tenure across all 16 local government areas of the state.
The announcement was made on Sunday, December 21, 2025, by the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr. Folorunso Olabode, who confirmed that the approved sum will cover vice chairmen, secretaries, councillors, supervisors, and advisers who completed their service in that period.
According to Olabode’s statement issued in Ado Ekiti, the beneficiaries are former political office holders at the grassroots level whose tenure concluded in 2023. The approval follows long-standing calls by some former officials for the payment of their entitlements, which have been pending since the end of their terms.
The development comes against a backdrop of preparations for fresh local government elections in Ekiti State. The Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC) recently announced that elections for local councils will be held on December 12, 2026, as the tenure of the current chairmen and councillors will expire in December 2026.
The severance pay approval is seen as part of the government’s broader effort to clear obligations to past office holders before the commencement of the next electoral cycle. It also aligns with ongoing discussions among former councillors and grassroots politicians who have, in recent months, urged the government to settle outstanding entitlements fairly and transparently.
Severance benefits for former political office holders at the local government level are politically and socially sensitive in many Nigerian states, including Ekiti. Critics of similar payouts in other jurisdictions argue that such expenditures place pressure on already constrained state finances, while proponents say they are necessary to uphold contractual and statutory obligations to public servants.
In Ekiti, the approved payout is expected to provide financial relief to recipients and strengthen goodwill as the state approaches another round of grassroots elections. The payment also highlights ongoing tensions within grassroots politics over issues of entitlement and recognition, with some former office holders previously decrying delays in payment of benefits they believe are due to them.
As Ekiti State finalises plans for local government polls in 2026, the government’s approval of nearly ₦459 million in severance benefits for former council officials reflects a strategic effort to settle past obligations and reset relations with grassroots political actors. The move underscores ongoing debates over public expenditure, accountability, and the obligations of government to those who have served in elective positions.