Jan 5 Resumption Date: Osun ALGON, Shuaib Oyedokun Caution LG Workers Against Partisan Conflict, Provocation of Violence

Following a return-to-work announcement by the president of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Osun State chapter, Comrade Kehinde Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, local government chairmen in the state, who are APC members, have asked the security agencies to hold the NULGE chief responsible should there be a breach of peace and breakdown of law and order in the 30 Local Governments in the state and Ife-East Area Office, Modakeke. 

Recall that what stood as the starting point for the stand-off over the control of local governments in the state was the ruling delivered by the Court of Appeal, Akure, Ondo State on February 10, 2025.

This was followed by emergence of two different sets of people laying claim to chairmanship and councillorship positions in the state.

LG chairmen, who are APC members, under the umbrella of Association of Local Government of Nigeria, (ALGON) Osun State chapter in a statement issued by their chairman, Hon. Idowu Samuel Abiodun and made available to Team@orientactualmags.com on Tuesday warned the NULGE officials to desist from any act capable of undermining the peace, unity and tranquility that the people of the grassroots have been enjoying since the reinstatement of the LG Chairmen and Councilors. 

‘Recall that local government workers in Osun State, who are members of NULGE, were ordered by their president, Ogungbangbe to withdraw their services and desert local government secretariats since February this year following the resumption of office by the APC reinstated LG officials. 

The local government workers have been on Sit-At-Home mode in the last 10 months, a development that suggested possible gross partisanship and financial inducement on the part of NULGE leadership to frustrate local government administration in the state. 

In a sudden turn of event, Comrade Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, on Monday, December 29, 2025, issued a statement announcing January 5, 2026, as the resumption date for local government workers. Ogungbangbe also made frivolous requests from the security agencies to earn undue sympathy’ the statement said.

ALGON also described the return-to-work announcement as a guise to perpetrate evils, cause chaos and unleash mayhem capable of jeopardizing the atmosphere of peace that the LG chairmen have built since their reinstatement by the Court of Appeal. 

Honourable Abiodun sent a stern warning to Ogungbangbe to desist from any form of illegality that could expose anyone particularly workforce to danger as the APC -elected LG chairmen and Councilors remain the constitutionally recognized occupants of all the 30 Local Governments in the state. 

‘We found it worthwhile to alert the security agencies on the possible invitation to chaos as orchestrated by the NULGE president, Nathaniel Ogungbangbe as contained in a statement he issued seeking protection from the security agencies to oust the council Chairmen and Councillors. 

As law-abiding citizens, we (council Chairmen and Councillors) have been very civil and responsible in handling the needless withdrawal of service by the local government workers since February this year hence our patience, tolerance and noble resolve to explore legal means in resolving any matter associated to local government administration.  But to our consternation, the latest statement from Ogungbangbe shows clearly the intention and ulterior motives being nurtured by NULGE executives to subject the state to social unrest. Hence our resolve to alert the security agencies to hold him (Ogungbangbe) responsible should there be any breakdown of law and order. 

We are aware of the shenanigans being orchestrated by the embattled NULGE President since our reinstatement as he had shown clearly to the whole world his unchecked partisanship and bias. As we reaffirm our commitment to peace, unity, harmony, cohesion and stability across the councils, we want to put our security agencies on the alert in case there’s breakdown of the law and order.

It is not only bizarre but irrational that Ogungbangbe has turned himself to a Court of Law, judging who supposed to occupy the Councils. Ogungbamigbe is not a judge or a law court to decide who is expected to be in the council or determine our tenure expiration hence the alert to inform the security agencies against possible illegalities. One will be surprised that a body that was not recognized by the Supreme Court in its judgment could be parading as NULGE President. 

For the avoidance of doubt, our occupation of council Secretariats is legal, constitutional and legitimate. Our tenure determination suit is still in court and until its final determination, we are still the Chairmen and Councilors across the 30 LGAs in Osun State. 

While we are disposed to dialogue and legal means to advance the cause of local government administration vis-a-vis the need to provide an enabling environment for workforce to operate and perform their duties in a peaceful manner, it is pertinent to reiterate that genuine workers are free to resume work without any form of intimidation or harassment as our APC-elected local government functionaries are prepared to receive them with open arms and together in order to further guarantee and extend the dividends of democracy to the good people of the state. 

I urge all the APC council Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, Councilors  and all other  members of our political functionaries to remain firm in taking full control/charge  of their councils as usual and henceforth until the final determination of our tenure determination suit at the Federal High Court, Osogbo’ the statement added.

In the meanwhile, a veteran politician, Alhaji Shuaib Afolabi Oyedokun has warned the local government workers against partisan conflict while urging them to prioritize common good, development and progress of the state.

In separate statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com on Tuesday, Alhaji Shuaib Afolabi Oyedokun also advised the LG workers to shun conducts driven by desperate self-interest at the expense of democratic stability and public welfare while noting that it is not unusual or abnormal for different political parties to control different tiers of government.

‘I wish to respectfully state my personal but firmly held belief that local governments in Osun State, even when controlled by a political party different from that of the state government, can lawfully and effectively function in the overall interest of our people.

The recent judicial affirmations and constitutional emphasis on local government autonomy leave no ambiguity: local governments are a distinct tier of government, guaranteed by law, and entitled to democratic existence, administrative functionality, and financial independence within the framework of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

In the peculiar context of Osun State, it must be clearly understood that:

Having different parties controlling different tiers of government is not a constitutional defect;

Party differences do not translate into governmental illegality; and governance should not be reduced to endless litigation where mutual political accommodation can better serve the public interest.

Nigeria’s democratic experience provides clear and settled precedents where different political parties controlled different tiers of government without constitutional crisis.

 For several years, the federal government was controlled by one party while numerous states were governed by opposition parties, yet. governance continued within the bounds of the law. Likewise, in states such as Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Oyo, and Plateau at different times, local governments operated under political leadership different from that of the state government, with administration and service delivery continuing wherever the rule of law and institutional responsibility were upheld.

 These realities affirm that party divergence is not alien to our constitutional practice, and that cooperation—not uniform party control—is the foundation of effective governance.

While the courts remain the final arbiters of legal disputes, it is my considered view that protracted litigations should not become a substitute for statesmanship, particularly where such disputes stall grassroots development, disrupt service delivery, and divert scarce public resources from the welfare of citizens.

Importantly, organized labour at the local government level—particularly the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Osun State—must be cautious not to perceive itself as a party to this political dispute.

NULGE exists to protect the welfare of workers and ensure continuity of local government administration, not to suspend governance by omission or by aligning with partisan struggles. All institutions must remain mindful that actions or inactions carry consequences for public trust, governance stability, and the rule of law.

The law does not forbid cooperation. Rather, it forbids:

Disobedience to valid court orders;

Unlawful dissolution or imposition of local councils;

Any conduct driven by desperate self-interest at the expense of democratic stability and public welfare.

Accordingly, nothing in law prevents APC-controlled local governments from coexisting and functioning alongside a PDP/Accord-controlled Osun State Government, provided that all parties act within constitutional boundaries, respect judicial pronouncements, and elevate the collective interest of Osun people above partisan advantage.

At this critical juncture, Osun State stands to gain far more from dialogue, restraint, institutional responsibility, and constitutional compliance than from political brinkmanship. Local government autonomy should be strengthened—not weaponized—and governance should be guided by the spirit of the law, not merely its technicalities.

I therefore call on all stakeholders—political actors, labour unions, and state institutions alike—to embrace a mutual political solution anchored on legality, respect for democratic institutions, and the supremacy of public interest, so that governance at all levels can proceed in an atmosphere of peace, stability, and development.

Osun State belongs to all of us, and its growth must never be held hostage to partisan conflict’ he added-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you