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The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Osun State Chapter, has accused Lateef Fagbemi SAN, the Attorney- General of the Federation (AGF) of attempting to manipulate ongoing legal proceedings on Local Government funds in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen and councillors.
Speaking at a Press Conference in Osogbo, Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, the Union’s president, said information at the Union’s disposal revealed moves to secure a vacation order and hearing in Abuja, despite court rulings already affirming the removal of the APC Council officials.
He recalled that the Osun State Government had on May 12, 2025, approached the Federal High Court to restrain the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Accountant General of the Federation from releasing Council funds to the APC officials.
The Court, he noted, ordered parties to maintain the status quo, but attempts were later made to open accounts for the APC chairmen until the Court of Appeal intervened on June 13, 2025.
Speaking further on the alleged manipulation, Ogungbangbe described the latest move as “a plot to achieve through the backdoor what the Appeal Court had already denied,”, insisting that the allocations belong to the grassroots and must be preserved for the people of Osun State.
He stressed that NULGE is not concerned with who controls the Councils, but only with ensuring that due process is respected.
The NULGE president also explained that Union members had stayed away from work in the interest of their safety, referencing earlier unrest.
Similarly, Comrade Christopher Arapasopo, the Osun State chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), emphasised that the organised labour would not compromise on the welfare and security of its members.
He urged the AGF to respect Court judgments, calling on Federal Government to take necessary steps for the Local Government workers to return to duty.
