The Osun State chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has announced January 5, 2026, as the resumption date for its members across all local government secretariats in the State.
The statement was signed by Dr Kehinde Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, President of NULGE, Osun State.
The union disclosed this in a letter notifying and requesting security protection from relevant security agencies, dated and issued in Osogbo on Monday. The decision followed a series of security council meetings convened to assess guarantees for a safe and successful return to work at the grassroots.
In the letter signed by the NULGE President (COM), Dr Kehinde Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, the union explained that its members were earlier directed to withdraw their services and embark on a sit-at-home action due to a volatile security situation stemming from a leadership tussle and political friction between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) over control of local government secretariats in the State.
“To safeguard the lives of our members, we had no choice but to vacate these premises,” the statement said.
Dr Ogungbangbe noted that following internal deliberations, the union resolved that workers should resume duties on Monday, January 5, 2026. He, however, stressed the need for adequate security deployment to prevent a breakdown of law and order and to protect workers from harm.
According to the union, sufficient security personnel should be deployed to all 30 local government councils, area offices and Local Council Development Area (LCDA) secretariats to forestall violence and ensure a secure working environment.
NULGE also outlined a number of issues for the attention of security agencies, including its position that the tenure of the sacked “APC Yes/No chairmen” expired on October 30, 2025, based on admissions made under oath before the Supreme Court in Suit No: SC/CV/773/2025 between the Attorney-General of Osun State and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The union further noted that the affected individuals had approached the Federal High Court in Osogbo in Suit No: FHC/OS/CS/147/2025, seeking an extension of their tenure, an action it said confirmed that their time in office had lapsed. It accused them of illegally occupying local government secretariats rather than awaiting the court’s decision.
NULGE described the alleged forcible occupation of public facilities as a violation of Section 1(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), warning that the situation posed serious risks to law-abiding civil servants.
The union maintained that the 30 local government councils, area offices and LCDAs could be effectively run without chairmen or councillors, with the Head of Local Administration (HLA), Director of Administration and General Services, and Director of Finance serving as recognised signatories to local government accounts in line with the Osun State Local Government Accounts Administration Law 2025.
In its formal prayers, NULGE urged security agencies to deploy adequate personnel to prevent intimidation, harassment or disruption of lawful duties; stop further illegal occupation of secretariats by unauthorised persons; and maintain neutrality while upholding the rule of law.
The union warned that in the event of any breakdown of law and order arising from failure to provide adequate security, the correspondence would serve as evidence that security agencies had been duly alerted to the impending danger.
