Tension has escalated in Osun State as rival leaders of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) issued conflicting statements regarding the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees’ (NULGE) decision to end an 11-month strike and resume work in January 2026. The strike, which began in February 2025, was sparked by disputes over the resumption of office by All Progressives Congress (APC)-elected council officials who were reinstated by court orders.

ALGON Chairman Samuel Idowu Abiodun, aligned with the APC, has alerted security agencies to potential breaches of peace across the state’s 30 local government areas. Abiodun claimed that the NULGE’s announcement to resume work on January 5, 2026, was a “guise to cause chaos” and that the APC-elected chairmen and councillors remain the constitutionally recognized occupants of the councils pending final court determination.

However, a rival statement from Sarafadeen Abiodun Awotunde, Executive Chairman of Ifelodun Local Government and ALGON, rejected Abiodun’s claims, describing his leadership as self-acclaimed. Awotunde maintained that the directive by NULGE for workers to resume was lawful and constitutional, emphasizing that local government employees have the right to access their workplaces without obstruction.

The Osun State chapter of the APC has also weighed in, accusing the NULGE leadership of overstepping its authority by attempting to dictate conditions for the resumption of work. The party alleged that NULGE has become “needlessly involved in partisan politics” and is acting as an extension of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s political camp.

The APC described NULGE’s announcement of a January resumption as welcome but said the conditions attached were illegal and contemptuous. The party insisted that employees cannot determine which council executives they will work with, warning that any attempt to enforce the resumption with conditions could threaten public peace.

As the situation unfolds, security agencies have been urged to remain alert and protect workers who wish to resume without being tied to any conditionalities. The Federal High Court in Osogbo is expected to rule on the tenure of the APC-reinstated chairmen and councillors, which remains a contentious issue. The resumption of work by local government employees is set to take place on January 5, 2026, amidst heightened tensions and conflicting claims from rival ALGON leaders.