Osun NULGE accuses FG of diverting LG funds to APC accounts

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Osun State Chapter, on Sunday accused the Federal Government of diverting Local Government allocations into accounts allegedly opened by sacked APC council chairmen and councillors.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo, Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, President of NULGE, alleged that the Minister of Finance, the Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Attorney-General of the Federation had authorised payments of Osun Local Government allocations from March to September 2025 into the bank accounts with United Bank for Africa (UBA).

He said the action violated court rulings which, according to him, had removed the APC chairmen and councilors from office.

The Union said, “It is on record that the Federal High Court of Nigeria on 15th May, 2025 ordered parties to maintain status quo, an order which has been acknowledged by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as hindering them from making payment.

“It is public knowledge that the Federal High Court is to further sit on this matter on 29th September, 2025. It is worrisome that these officers and the Federal Authorities, which they represent, do not have respect for the authority of the Courts. We wish to remind them that a Country that does not have respect for its own Judicial Authorities is digging its own grave.”

Ogungbangbe added that the Union would not work with the sacked officials who, he claimed, were being imposed on the State.

But the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun dismissed the allegations as false, saying no funds were paid into private accounts of its members.

In a statement by Kola Olabis, director of media and information, the party insisted the allocations went into statutory council accounts.

The APC, who accused NULGE of playing politics and acting as an arm of the PDP, maintained that the Court of Appeal judgement of February 10, 2025, which reinstated its council chairmen and councillors, remained valid and had not been overturned.

Olabisi said, “We want to, as a party which believes in the rule of law, make it abundantly clear that it is not the duty of the NULGE to interpret any court judgement and that the Court of Appeal judgement of the 10th of February, 2025 which reinstated the APC local government council chairmen and their councillors is still in force as there is no record anywhere that it was appealed against.”