The Osun State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has accused top federal government officials of abusing their power and disregarding the rule of law in the management of local government allocations. According to NULGE, the Minister of Finance, the Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Attorney-General of the Federation have wrongly released statutory allocations for Osun’s 30 local government councils into accounts controlled by sacked APC chairmen and councillors.
NULGE claims that these funds were deposited into United Bank for Africa (UBA) accounts, despite existing court orders and legitimate council accounts managed by career officers. The union describes this move as “unbelievable, bizarre, and unprecedented” in Nigeria’s public administration history. The Federal High Court had ordered all parties to maintain the status quo on May 15, 2025, a decision acknowledged by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The case is still pending before the Federal High Court, with a hearing scheduled for September 29, 2025. NULGE insists that both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal have removed the APC chairmen and councillors from office, paving the way for newly elected local government executives to take over. The union warns that undermining judicial authority could destabilize the state and accuses unnamed political actors of plotting to create disorder.
In response, the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described NULGE’s statement as “a pack of lies and deliberate misrepresentation” intended to serve political interests. The APC accuses NULGE’s leadership of acting as an interpreter of court judgments on behalf of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The party denies allegations that council allocations were paid into personal accounts of its members or officials, stating that the funds were paid directly into local government councils’ accounts.
The PDP has reacted to the APC’s response, challenging the party to disclose the specific accounts into which the allocations were paid and reveal the signatories to those accounts. The PDP alleges that statutory officers across the 30 local governments were unaware of any payments, suggesting diversion of funds. The party urges the APC to provide details of the transactions or risk being accused of staging a massive heist.
The controversy surrounding the management of local government allocations in Osun State has sparked a heated debate between the APC, PDP, and NULGE. With the case still pending in court, the situation remains volatile, and the demand for accountability and transparency in public resource management continues to grow.
