Osun LG crisis: NULGE insists strike continues, accuses FG of abuse of power

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Osun State chapter, on Sunday declared that its members would not resume work, insisting on continuing their stay-at-home action.

The union also distanced itself from sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) council officials and warned against what it described as “abuse of power” in the management of local government allocations.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo, the state president of NULGE, Dr. Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, alleged that the Minister of Finance, the Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Attorney-General of the Federation authorised the payment of statutory allocations for March to August 2025 into “illegally opened” United Bank for Africa (UBA) accounts operated by dismissed APC council officials.

Ogungbangbe maintained that new local government elections had already produced duly elected chairmen and councillors, with career officers serving as custodians of council assets and funds. He warned that the actions of federal officials could destabilise the state, alleging that the move was designed to create a crisis that might justify calls for a state of emergency in Osun.

“Paying local government allocations into privately opened and illegal bank accounts of politicians is unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented in the history of public administration in Nigeria,” he said.

“The Attorney-General cannot assume the role of the Supreme Court by setting aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the sacking of the APC politicians by the Federal High Court. The Attorney-General is not above the law.”

Ogungbangbe urged residents of Osun to remain vigilant and not allow “enemies of the state” to exploit the situation.

APC reacts

In its response, the Osun State chapter of the APC criticised NULGE, accusing the union’s leadership of partisanship and working in the interest of Governor Ademola Adeleke and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The APC alleged that NULGE had been on a “sympathy strike” with the Adeleke administration for over seven months, describing Ogungbangbe’s claims about the federal allocation as “a series of lies” intended to mislead the public.

“The statement that Osun NULGE is not political does not hold water. It is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf that the union is working for the PDP governor,” the party said.

The APC advised NULGE members to “put on their thinking cap” and join what it described as “the winning teams that are beginning to transform grassroots governance across the state.”