The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has accused the Federal Government of releasing withheld allocations for Osun State local governments into what it described as illegal bank accounts.
Speaking at a press conference in Osogbo, NULGE President Nathaniel Ogungbangbe alleged that the Minister of Finance, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and the Accountant-General of the Federation facilitated the release of allocations for March to August 2025 to persons no longer legally in office.
Ogungbangbe claimed the beneficiaries of the funds — local government chairmen elected in October 2022 — had since been sacked by a court of law. He vowed that union members would not work with them, stressing that the issue ought to have been determined by the Supreme Court before any payments were made.
The Osun State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Christopher Arapasopo, also said local government workers would not resume duty under the APC-led council executives.
However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State dismissed the allegations. Its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, said NULGE had no authority to interpret court judgments or decide the status of elected officials.
He explained that the APC chairmen were reinstated by a Court of Appeal judgment delivered on 10 February 2025 and insisted there was no record that the ruling had been overturned.
“As a party that believes in the rule of law, we make it clear that it is not NULGE’s duty to interpret court judgments,” Olabisi said, adding that federal allocations were paid directly into local government accounts, not into private accounts of APC members.
Olabisi also accused the union of spreading falsehoods and pursuing self-interest over the allocations.
