The Osun State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has raised alarm over an alleged plot by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to transfer a case on local government allocations in the state to an Abuja vacation court.
It would be recalled that the Osun State Attorney General, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, had approached the Federal High Court seeking four reliefs, including an order restraining the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation, and the AGF from opening or maintaining accounts for the council chairmen elected during the controversial October 12, 2022 election, which was contested only by All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates.
Speaking at a press briefing in Osogbo on Monday, NULGE President in the state, Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, said the AGF was duly served with court processes on May 16, 2025, contrary to his claim that he had not been served.
“As you are aware, there is an ongoing legal battle concerning the disbursement of Osun State Local Government funds. The information at our disposal is that the Attorney-General of Osun State had approached the Federal High Court to restrain the CBN, the Accountant-General of the Federation and others from diverting these funds to the sacked APC chairmen and councillors, whose removal has already been affirmed by competent courts of law,” Ogungbangbe said.
“We smell a plot to use the Abuja vacation court to give, through the backdoor, what the Court of Appeal has already denied. Justice cannot be ambushed. The people of Osun State will not allow their resources to be stolen under the guise of judicial manoeuvres.
“These funds belong to the local governments and, by extension, to the ordinary people of Osun State. Hearing this matter at its originally scheduled time will not deprive our people of their money. But rushing it now, during vacation, raises suspicions that powerful interests are desperate to subvert the will of the people and the judgment of the courts.”
Corroborating the union’s position, the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Christopher Arapasopo, stressed the need to respect the rule of law and abide by the verdict of the Court of Appeal delivered on June 13.
“We are major stakeholders in Osun. We are concerned about the safety and welfare of our members. What we are saying is simple: the rule of law must be respected. The appellate court’s judgment should be upheld, and peace should be allowed to return to Osun State. The AGF must respect the law, and the federal government should do the needful to enable our people resume their normal duties,” Arapasopo said.
