The political atmosphere in Osun State has been thrown into fresh tension as the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continue to exchange heated words over alleged diversion of local government funds.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo, NULGE accused top federal government officials—including the Minister of Finance, the Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Attorney-General of the Federation—of releasing statutory allocations for Osun’s 30 local government councils into accounts operated by APC chairmen and councillors already removed from office by the courts.

The union alleged that, between March and September 2025, these allocations were funneled into United Bank for Africa (UBA) accounts opened by the sacked APC officials, ignoring subsisting court orders and bypassing the legitimate council accounts managed by career officers.

“Paying local government allocations into privately opened and illegal bank accounts of politicians is unbelievable, bizarre, and unprecedented in the history of public administration in Nigeria,” NULGE said in a strongly worded statement.

Citing a May 15, 2025 Federal High Court order directing all parties to maintain the status quo, the union warned that undermining judicial authority could destabilize the state. It also accused unnamed political actors of plotting to create chaos as a prelude to declaring a state of emergency in Osun.

But in a swift rebuttal, the Osun State APC dismissed the allegations as “a pack of lies and deliberate misrepresentation.” According to the party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the Court of Appeal judgment delivered on February 10, 2025 had reinstated the APC chairmen and councillors, making NULGE’s claims baseless.

“It is not the duty of NULGE to interpret any court judgment,” the APC stated, while insisting that allocations were paid directly into official council accounts—not into the personal accounts of its members.

Meanwhile, the PDP, which is the ruling party in the state, seized on the controversy, challenging the APC to provide details of the accounts where the funds were deposited and disclose the signatories. According to PDP chairman Sunday Bisi, neither the statutory officers of the 30 local governments nor the Ministry of Local Government Affairs had knowledge of such payments.

“This situation suggests diversion of the funds,” Bisi said, describing the APC’s response as “an admission of crime against the people of Osun State.”

While the war of words continues, NULGE has appealed to Osun residents to remain calm and support Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration, assuring them that the courts will eventually deliver justice.