The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Osun State has strongly criticized the Federal Government over the recent release of withheld council funds to officials of the All Progressives Congress (APC) previously removed by court order. NULGE described the move as a clear abuse of power and a violation of democratic principles.
The controversy stems from the Federal Government’s withholding of allocations meant for Osun State Local Government Areas amid a long-running dispute over control of the councils. Both the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elected officials have claimed authority over the local government secretariats, resulting in a paralysed administration and a work stoppage by council staff since February 2025.
Addressing journalists at the State Secretariat in Osogbo, Dr. Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, alongside Dr. Christopher Arapasopo, Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Osun, and other NULGE leaders, affirmed that union members would refuse to work under the reinstated APC officials despite the federal release of six months’ allocations. The funds, covering March to August 2025, were reportedly deposited into bank accounts controlled by council chairmen and councillors previously removed by court judgment.
Ogungbangbe condemned the actions of the Minister of Finance, the Accountant General of the Federation, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Central Bank of Nigeria, questioning why political considerations seemed to override the rule of law. He stated, “We have it on good authority that these three principal officers of the Federal Government have released the Osun State Local Government Councils’ allocations for March 2025 to August 2025 into the illegal bank accounts of court-sacked APC chairmen and councillors. Paying local government allocations into privately controlled accounts of politicians is unbelievable, bizarre, and unprecedented in Nigeria’s public administration.”
He further urged NULGE members statewide to maintain the work boycott, emphasizing that cooperating with the APC officials would constitute an abuse of democracy.
Responding to the union’s stance, Osun APC Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, countered that NULGE has no authority to determine which elected officials were removed by the court or to interpret judicial decisions. Olabisi highlighted that the Court of Appeal reinstated the APC local government chairmen and councillors on February 10, 2025, and noted that the ruling remains in effect, with no appeal pending. He said, “We want to, as a party that believes in the rule of law, make it clear that NULGE has no duty to interpret any court judgment. The February 10, 2025, Court of Appeal judgment reinstating APC council chairmen and councillors is still in force, and there is no record that it has been appealed.”
The dispute underscores continuing tensions in Osun State’s local governance, where federal financial decisions, party politics, and union actions intersect, leaving council employees caught between legal rulings and administrative directives. The situation is expected to remain a flashpoint as stakeholders weigh compliance with court decisions against concerns over governance and accountability.
