The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has taken a swipe at the leadership of the National Union of Local Government Employees in the state and Arise Television anchor, Dr Reuben Abati, accusing both of partisanship in the lingering crisis over the non-release of local government allocations.
In a Monday statement signed by its Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, the APC accused the state NULGE President, Dr Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, of working in cahoots with Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration to frustrate the payment of accumulated federal allocations meant for local councils in the state.
The APC faulted NULGE’s weekend statement warning the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Central Bank of Nigeria not to release the seized allocations, describing it as “an unpatriotic move that only prolongs the suffering of the people.”
“It is now crystal clear to the public that the NULGE leadership is working hand in glove with Governor Adeleke to deny Osun people access to their constitutionally guaranteed funds,” the statement read. “The so-called labour body has reduced itself to a partisan tool of the PDP.”
The party also alleged that NULGE’s decision to keep council workers on a seven-month strike was evidence of its complicity, insisting that the union under Ogungbangbe “is more political than labour-oriented.”
The APC restated its position that council chairmen and councillors elected on October 15, 2022, under the Adegboyega Oyetola administration, and initially sacked by a Federal High Court in Osogbo, were validly restored by the Court of Appeal in Akure on February 10, 2025.
According to the party, the ruling legally reinstated APC council bosses, contrary to PDP’s insistence that chairmen produced in the February 22, 2025 local polls remain legitimate.
The opposition party therefore urged the Federal Government and its agencies to ignore NULGE’s warning and proceed with the release of allocations in line with the February 10 judgement.
In a separate statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, the APC also berated Abati, co-host of The Morning Show on Arise Television, accusing him of bias in his commentary on the Osun LG allocation crisis.
The party claimed that Abati, a former presidential spokesperson, displayed “flagrant partisanship” by allegedly siding with Governor Adeleke during a recent broadcast.
“The efforts of Abati on the delayed payment of the Osun State local government councils’ federal allocations revealed that he knows next to nothing about the subject matter, which earned him the instant status of a meddlesome interloper,” the party said.
It faulted Abati’s reliance on a June 13 Court of Appeal ruling, insisting that the February 10 judgement restoring APC council executives remained valid and binding.
“Why didn’t Abati query Governor Adeleke’s refusal to approach the Supreme Court if he truly believes the February 10 ruling was flawed? Instead, he has chosen to act as judge and jury on national television,” the APC queried.
Describing both NULGE’s stance and Abati’s comments as partisan and misleading, the party reiterated that Osun people should not continue to suffer the consequences of “political games” while constitutionally approved allocations remain trapped in Abuja.
