NULGEIsmaeel Aleem
The Osun State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have engaged in a heated dispute over allegations of illegal diversion of local government funds and conflicting interpretations of court rulings.
Speaking at a press conference in Osogbo on Sunday, NULGE accused senior federal officials, including the Minister of Finance, the Accountant-General, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, of flouting court orders by releasing Osun’s local government allocations from March to September 2025 into United Bank for Africa (UBA) accounts controlled by court-sacked APC chairmen and councillors, despite legitimate accounts managed by career officers.
NULGE described the action as “unprecedented” and “bizarre,” noting that a Federal High Court order on 15 May 2025 mandated maintaining the status quo, a directive acknowledged by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The matter, pending before the Federal High Court, is set for hearing on 29 September 2025.
The union insisted that both the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal had nullified the APC officials’ tenure, affirming the legitimacy of new PDP-elected officials sworn in after the 22 February 2025 elections.
NULGE warned that such actions risk destabilising Osun and urged residents to support Governor Ademola Adeleke’s peace agenda.
In response, the APC, through Director of Media Kola Olabisi, dismissed NULGE’s claims as “a pack of lies” and accused the union of acting as a PDP mouthpiece.
The party maintained that the Court of Appeal’s 10 February 2025 ruling reinstated its officials, a decision it claims remains unappealed, and denied funds were paid into personal accounts.
The PDP, led by Chairman Sunday Bisi, challenged the APC to disclose account details and signatories, alleging the situation suggests fund diversion and labelling it “the greatest heist in Nigeria’s history.” The PDP reaffirmed its commitment to transparency under Adeleke’s leadership.
