The State Executives of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Osun State Chapter, under the leadership of Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, have asked local government workers to ignore the call by some “unregistered group” for them to resume duties on Monday, alleging that the factional group has been induced by the major opposition All Progressives Congress in the state to foment trouble.

Activities at all the local government areas across Osun have been paralysed for over seven months since workers downed tools over controversy surrounding the control of the third tier of government by the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ogungbangbe, while addressing a press conference in Osogbo on Friday in reaction to the earlier directive by some concerned council workers under the umbrella of the Association of Concerned Local Government Workers of Osun State, urged members of NULGE to shun the call for resumption, declaring that the council secretariats in the state are not yet “safe” for resumption of duties.

Describing the association of concerned council workers as “unregistered and destructive”, Ogungbangbe said, “These self-centred and parochial people are being paid for this demonic job and that is why they have not relented in calling for resumption of duties of our members in order to satisfy their paymasters.”

He added, “The leadership of NULGE in Osun State is using this medium to appeal to our esteemed members to disregard the call,” noting that, “the stand taken by the leadership of our Union is in defence of democracy and the rule of law in the country, while their own actions are capable of destroying our nascent democracy if care is not taken.”

The NULGE chairman clarified that Adebayo Adekunle, the coordinator of the concerned group, and other leaders “are no more our members because they had been suspended indefinitely from the Union because of this kind of anti-Union activities, and they are yet to come out from the shock of their unexpected failure in the NULGE election of 4th March, 2025.”

Denying allegations of partisanship, Ogungbangbe said the group lacks the authority to conduct staff audit, asking genuine NULGE members to disregard the threat of job loss if they did not show up at secretariats on Monday.
He maintained that ever since Adebayo was defeated at the last NULGE election in the state, he has been bitter and vindictive.

“Nobody is going to resume on Monday. We heard that the APC has given some of them money. Whoever goes on Monday must have been induced. He (Adebayo) does not have any power to ask NULGE members to resume duties. Our members know their leaders. Any person you see on duty on Monday are induced APC members.

“When we are convinced that normalcy and peace have returned to secretariats, we will call off our strike. We do not want to put the lives of our members in danger,” he stated.