By Michael Ofulue, Osogbo

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to intervene in the ongoing crisis affecting local government (LG) workers in the state.

The party specifically urged NULGE’s National President, Comrade Aliyu Haruna Kankara, to resist being misled by the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke, which it claims has misrepresented the plight of local government administration in Osun.

In a statement issued by APC’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the party warned Kankara against being deceived by the state government’s narrative, especially considering the fact that NULGE has become deeply divided in Osun.

Olabisi stated that two factions now claim leadership of NULGE in the state. One faction, led by Comrade Tirimisiyu Adekunle and Comrade Akinkunmi Adepoju, operates under the banner of the Association of Concerned Local Government Employees (ACLGE).

The APC described the factionalized NULGE leadership, headed by Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, as being sympathetic to the PDP-led government in Osun.

According to the statement, Ogungbangbe’s faction has failed to inform Kankara of the true situation, particularly the refusal of the state government to honour the Court of Appeal judgment of 10 February 2025, which reinstated APC’s local government council chairmen and councillors.

The APC further lamented that since the landmark judgment, the state’s factionalized NULGE leadership has declined to resume work, thereby stalling administrative operations in local government councils across Osun.

The party accused the faction of aligning itself with the Governor Adeleke-led administration, which it claims has consistently shown disdain for the rule of law.

The APC further alleged that the NULGE leadership in Osun has, in effect, become more of an opposition force against the APC than a genuine union.

Olabisi warned Kankara not to be swayed by what it termed as the dirty politics of the Adeleke administration, stressing that the NULGE leadership should not condone actions that undermine the rule of law and the authority of the judiciary.

The APC also raised concerns about the recent spate of violence in the state, specifically highlighting the killing of Remi Abass, one of the reinstated local government chairmen, and several other APC members.

The party claimed that these killings were carried out by PDP supporters, yet the factionalized NULGE leadership had failed to inform the national leadership of the situation.

The statement concluded with a plea for NULGE’s national leadership to ensure that the factionalized state NULGE leadership ends its boycott of the local government councils, which has paralyzed the third tier of government in Osun for over two months.

It reminded Comrade Kankara that the state government had disregarded directives from both the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Inspector-General of Police, who had stated there was no need for local government elections due to the absence of vacancies.

The APC warned that any further support for the Osun State government’s disobedience to the Court of Appeal judgment could damage NULGE’s integrity and have severe consequences for the union’s standing in the eyes of the law.