After six months of being held up, the Federal Government has finally released local government funds for Osun State, but the move has sparked a firestorm. The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Osun is livid, calling it a blatant power grab, while the PDP and APC are at each other’s throats over who’s got their hands on the cash.
NULGE Cries Foul
At a fiery press conference in Osogbo on September 28, 2025, NULGE’s state president, Dr. Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, didn’t hold back. He accused the Minister of Finance, the Accountant-General, and the Attorney-General of funneling Osun’s local government allocations from March to September 2025 into shady accounts controlled by ousted APC chairmen and councilors. “This is a new low,” he fumed. “Paying public funds into private accounts set up by sacked politicians? It’s unheard of in Nigeria’s history.”
Ogungbangbe claimed these accounts, opened with United Bank for Africa (UBA), bypassed all proper procedures. He pointed to a May 15, 2025, Federal High Court order to freeze the situation, which even the Central Bank of Nigeria acknowledged. With the court set to revisit the issue on September 29, he warned that ignoring judicial rulings is a dangerous game. “A country that disrespects its courts is asking for trouble,” he said.
He also noted that new PDP chairmen and councilors, elected under Governor Ademola Adeleke, are now in charge after fresh polls. Ogungbangbe urged Osun residents to stay calm, suspecting the fund release is a ploy to stir chaos and justify a state of emergency for looting.
NULGE has told local government workers to keep steering clear of offices for safety, a boycott that started after tensions flared in February 2025.
APC Fires Back: “It’s All Lies”
The Osun APC wasn’t having it, brushing off NULGE’s claims as a PDP-orchestrated smear. In a statement, APC spokesperson Kola Olabisi insisted the funds went straight to official local government accounts, not to any individuals. “NULGE’s got no business playing judge and jury,” he snapped, pointing to a February 10, 2025, Court of Appeal ruling that reinstated APC chairmen and councilors—a decision he says still stands unchallenged.
Olabisi accused NULGE of cozying up to Governor Adeleke for selfish reasons and called on security forces to keep the peace. “Osun’s not a lawless state,” he said. “NULGE’s just spinning tales now that the funds are flowing again. What’s their next excuse?”
PDP Demands Answers: “Show Us the Money”
Osun PDP Chairman Sunday Bisi jumped into the fray, calling the fund release a “crime against Osun’s people” and demanding the APC spill the beans on which accounts got the money, who’s signing for it, and how much was paid. “Not a single statutory officer, not the Accountant-General, Auditor-General, or Ministry of Local Governments, knows about these funds,” Bisi said. “If the APC’s got nothing to hide, let them lay it all bare.”
He warned that without clear answers, the PDP would assume the APC pulled off a massive “heist” by siphoning off six months’ worth of local government cash. Bisi stood firm on Adeleke’s commitment to transparency, saying no amount of APC mudslinging would derail their focus.
How It All Started
The saga kicked off in February 2025 when a power tussle over Osun’s 30 local government secretariats led to the funds being frozen. The Court of Appeal’s ruling that month, backing the APC’s claim, only deepened the rift. The Osun Masterminds, a local advocacy group, has since called for cooler heads to sort out this mess, warning that grassroots governance is at stake.
